What does the 10th Amendment clarify about governmental powers?

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The 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution is fundamental in clarifying the distribution of power between the federal government and the states. It states that powers not delegated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or to the people. This means that any authority that is not explicitly assigned to the federal government by the Constitution is retained by the states or the people.

This amendment was introduced as part of the Bill of Rights to reinforce the principle of federalism and to emphasize that the federal government's powers are limited and that all other powers are reserved. By stating that states or the people retain powers not given to the government, it serves to protect states' rights and individual liberties, illustrating a crucial component of American democracy.

The other options do not encapsulate the essence of the 10th Amendment as effectively. The amendment does not imply that powers are limited solely to those explicitly granted, nor does it restrict powers only to the federal government. Additionally, while powers being shared is a concept found in some areas of governance, the 10th Amendment specifically highlights the retention of rights by states and the people, rather than a shared power dynamic.

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