Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants the states the power to govern themselves in matters not addressed by federal law?

• A. 1st
• B. 2nd
• C. 10th
• D. 14th

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how power is divided between the national government and the states. The Tenth Amendment makes clear that powers not specifically given to the United States by the Constitution, and not forbidden to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people. This is the constitutional basis for states governing themselves in matters not addressed by federal law. It expresses federalism in a direct, explicit way and sets the default for state authority when federal law does not speak to a particular issue.

Other amendments focus on different protections or topics. The First Amendment protects individual rights like speech and religion, not how power is distributed between state and federal governments. The Second Amendment concerns the right to keep and bear arms. The Fourteenth Amendment deals with citizenship and due process/equal protection, and while it affects how states must treat individuals, it does not establish a general principle of state sovereignty in areas not covered by federal law.