The Dred Scott decision, delivered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857, ruled that popular sovereignty—the idea that the settlers of a territory could decide whether to allow slavery—was unconstitutional. The Court argued that the federal government had no authority to regulate slavery in the territories, as it violated the property rights of slave owners under the Fifth Amendment. Consequently, the decision effectively invalidated the principle of popular sovereignty by asserting that Congress could not exclude slavery from the territories, thereby reinforcing the legal status of slavery in the United States.
In the Dred Scott decision of 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that popular sovereignty—allowing territories to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery—was unconstitutional because it violated the Fifth Amendment. The Court argued that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories, as doing so would deprive slaveholders of their property rights without due process. This ruling effectively nullified the principle of popular sovereignty and intensified the national debate over slavery.
popular sovereignty
Dred Scott v. Sanford
popular sovereignty
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, promoted by Stephen Douglass.
Kansas-Nebraska Act, allowing each new state to vote whether to be slave or free ('Popular Sovereignty').
popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of a government is created and sustained by the consent of its people. In a sentence: "According to the concept of popular sovereignty, the power of the government comes from the people themselves, who elect their leaders to represent their interests."
popular sovereignty
popular sovereignty
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Utah and New Mexico
Utah and New Mexico
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, promoted by Stephen Douglass.
Under popular sovereignty, decisions about slavery would be made by the settlers in a territory. There were different viewpoints about when the decision should be made; some felt the decision shouldn't be decided until a territory was approaching statehood, while others wanted it to be decided earlier.
Under popular sovereignty, the residents of the territory would ultimately decide whether slavery would be allowed. This principle meant that the people living in a particular territory would determine their own laws and institutions, including the decision on the legality of slavery.