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Bill of Rights
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DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage and answer the questions below.
Ninth & Tenth Amendments
The last two amendments, or official changes, in the Bill of Rights are the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. These
were included to help keep a proper balance of rights and power among the federal government, the people, and the
states.
Amendment Nine: Rights Retained by the People
One debate over the Bill of Rights was that no list could completely cover every individual right of the people. It
would be impossible to list every single right retained, or kept, by the people. If the rights were not listed in the
Constitution, did it mean the government could take away these rights? No. This is why framers of the Constitution
ratified the Ninth Amendment.
It states rights not listed in the Constitution are still retained by the people. For example, the Constitution does
not state citizens have the right to an education but this is a right of the people and has been protected by the Supreme
Court on numerous occasions. Since framers could not foresee all future issues and problems, they created the Ninth
Amendment to protect the peoples’ rights throughout all time
Amendment Ten: Powers Reserved to the States
The Tenth Amendment was included to protect the states from excessive, or too much, federal power. It says
powers not given to the national government by the Constitution are “reserved to the states.” This means states oversee
all issues not given to the federal government. For example, today states oversee issues such as driving regulations
(speeding limits, age a person can receive his/her license, etc.). They also decide things such as building and repairing
roads. These issues are decided differently in each state according to the state’s desires. As with the Ninth Amendment,
the Tenth Amendment’s goal was to protect people and the states from an over-powerful federal government.
1. What is the 9th Amendment about? Describe.
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2. Why was the 9th Amendment added to the Bill of Rights? Explain.
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3. What is the 10th Amendment about?
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4. Why was the 10th Amendment created? Explain.
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