Blueprint for Federalism: Goldwater Launches Civics Initiative to Add the 10th Amendment to State Constitutions  

America’s founders wisely recognized it from the beginning—the best chance for a sprawling young republic to survive would be for important political decisions to remain close to the people. Their solution: a system of constitutional federalism where states are empowered to govern their own local affairs and serve as laboratories of democracy.

Sadly, as civic education declines in the country, that important principle is no longer greatly appreciated by many Americans.

That’s why the Goldwater Institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy is proud to announce a new initiative to bring that core pillar of our constitutional republic to statehouses and schoolrooms across the country.

In a newly released work, Federalism and State Constitutions: Model Language for “Tenth Amendments” in State Constitutions, Goldwater Director of Education Policy Matt Beienburg and Associate Professor of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SCETL) Sean Beienburg outline an approach for state lawmakers to revitalize our national awareness of, and appreciation for, the idea of “federalism”—the decentralization of power and the sovereignty of states over matters not granted to the federal government under the United States Constitution.

The new report offers a blueprint for state lawmakers to reignite a commitment to the principles of federalism by adopting language in their own states’ constitutions mirroring the 10^th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which declares:  “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

As the report highlights, nearly a dozen states have already enacted similar provisions in their current constitutions throughout our nation’s history, from Massachusetts in 1780 to Louisiana in 1998. Now, other states (both red and blue) have the opportunity to similarly recommit to the principles of federalism, and also to adopt—as Arizona did in 2014—language reaffirming the supremacy of the Constitution of the United States and a prohibition on the use of state resources in support of any federal act inconsistent with the Constitution.

As our nation celebrates the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this initiative will ensure that Americans—regardless of political stripe—will have the opportunity to relearn and recommit to the enduring structure of our constitutional republic. By placing “Tenth Amendment” language on state ballots in 2026 and beyond, state lawmakers can not only help spur greater public awareness and discussion of the importance of federalism, but will also rededicate their own legislative bodies to its flourishing.

To read the full report and access the model language, click here.

(The academic affiliation for Sean Beienburg is provided for identification only, and this document does not represent the opinions of SCETL or Arizona State University).