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The United States Constitution was written to share power between the states and the national government so the national government still was powerful without having tyranny, along with the states being powerful as well.
Before the United States Constitution, there was the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were very weak and gave little power to the national government. The national government could not tax the states, draft soldiers, create and enforce laws properly, regulate trade, and other important matters.
When the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called, it was originally planned to just amend the Articles of Confederation. Instead, they were scrapped altogether and the United States Constitution was created.
Many people realized by now that the national government was way too weak and needed to be given power, but still many people disagreed, as they were scared of tyranny. Power was given to the national government anyway, but many things were made so the government could not abuse its power.
The Tenth Amendment gives all of the powers not reserved for the national government, to the states. This makes the states powerful, along with the national government. Checks and balances and the separation of powers are important in keeping the national government from having too much power as well.