The Eleventh Amendment

"The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State."

The Eleventh Amendment gave the power to the people.  The Eleventh Amendment allowed for average citizens to sue theirs, and other states.  This Amendment was good for the country because it furthered the system of checks and balances from not only the three prances of government, but to also the citizens of the country.  Now while the average citizen cannot sue a state for something he has no investment in, the citizen can sue a state in which a wrong has been done against that citizen. 

Above is a picture of Alexander Chisholm and he is almost the single reason as to why the Eleventh Amendment exists today.  Alexander Chisholm sued the state of Georgia for not paying him back for supplies he granted to the United States Army during the war.  The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and Chisholm lost because it was believed that a citizen could not sue a state.  Just two short years later, the Amendment was ratified.