It wasn't all ice cream sundaes and cherry pies when the framers were creating the Constitution. A lot of people, especially Anti-Federalists, were attached to the Articles system because they feared that a more robust federal government would abuse its power. To win over the haters, the framers came up with a Bill of Rights, a series of amendments designed to prevent federal government overreach and protect the rights of citizens.

It was a complicated process. Some people felt that if a Bill of Rights were included, the government would think that people only had the rights that were written down. So they came up with Amendment 9, which owes a lot to the Articles.

It states that people get to reserve rights not listed in the Constitution and the Amendments…like drinking Mountain Dew in the morning or putting parmesan cheese on popcorn. You know: the stuff that makes American great.