States should be more powerful than the federal government.
Most Americans have more frequent contact with their State and native governments than with the federal.The Tenth Amendment declares, "The powers not delegated to the u. s. by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." In other words, states have all powers not granted to the centralized by the Constitution. State politics are extraordinarily important because states are charged with protecting the welfare, safety and health of their citizens (which is one reason why roughly 95 percent of tribunal cases are handled in state courts).
Southern congressmen opposed James Tallmadge’s proposed
amendments to the Missouri statehood bill in 1819 because the amendments would
have made Missouri a free state. This made the amendments controversial and a
threat to sectional political harmony which was essential to achieve consensus.
