10th Amendment Research Paper

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The United States of America as they stand today are a result of the evolution of the frameworks our founding fathers set in to place long ago. Among them were the Articles of Confederation, the Virginia and New Jersey plans, the Federalist Papers, and the Constitution. Beginning with the original frame work for the government of the United States, the Articles of Confederation, established in 1781, formed a firm league of friendship among the states, instead of a government for the people (Dye, Gaddie 66). The United States fared well under the Articles of Confederation. With success in gaining independence from Great Britain, gaining France as an ally and establishing a viable peace. However, the Articles created financial struggles because …show more content…

An example of the 10th amendment being put to use is in the case of Printz v. United States, which sought to repeal the Brady Act. The Brady Act was proposed in 1987 and sought to implement federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States along with a five day waiting period on purchases (GovTrack). Not long after, the National Rifle Association (NRA) assembled in an effort to defeat the bill, costing the organization millions in the process. The NRA went on to fund various lawsuits in states such as Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana in order to deem the Brady Act unconstitutional. All the lawsuits ventured through the courts and eventually led to the U.S. Supreme Court case of Printz v. United states. The NRA argued that the Brady Act was unconstitutional on the basis that requiring local law enforcement officers to conduct background checks was a violation of the 10th amendment. In the end, the Supreme Court ruled that the Brady Act was indeed unconstitutional on 10th amendment grounds, determining that the Brady Act violated the concept of federalism. Most of the Brady Act statute was upheld, but left the decision of whether or not to implement it entirely to the state. If it were not for the 10th amendment there would be nothing securing the rights and powers of the