Who argued in favor of popular sovereignty?

Answer 1

The concept of popular sovereignty, which holds that the authority of a government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, was notably advocated by political theorists like Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In the context of American politics, it was championed by figures such as Stephen A. Douglas, particularly during the debate over the expansion of slavery into new territories in the 1850s. Douglas argued that the residents of a territory should have the right to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery.