Popular sovereignty allows territories to determine their own governance and laws through the will of the people. This principle empowers residents to decide on critical issues, such as whether to permit slavery or establish a specific form of government. It emphasizes the idea that the authority of the government is derived from the consent of the governed. Ultimately, it grants territories the autonomy to shape their political and social structures according to the preferences of their inhabitants.
popular sovereignty was an unworkable solution for the territories of Kansas and Nebraska
New Mexico and Utah
Slave ownership in territories could be decided by popular sovereignty
The Kansas-Nebraska of 1854 allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebrask to vote on whether to allow slavery, which is what "popular sovereignty" or "squatter sovereignty" meant.
They thought that granting popular sovereignty would allow slavery
Popular sovereignty is the idea that the residents of a territory should have the right to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. This concept was influential in the debate over the spread of slavery into new territories during the mid-19th century in the United States, particularly with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 which allowed for popular sovereignty in those territories.
popular sovereignty, allowing the residents of the territories to vote on whether to allow slavery or not. He argued that this approach would uphold the principles of democracy and states' rights, allowing each territory to determine its own stance on the issue.
Under the Compromise of 1850, the territories that were able to choose by popular sovereignty whether or not to allow slavery were New Mexico and Utah. This compromise aimed to address the contentious issue of slavery in newly acquired territories following the Mexican-American War. Kansas and Nebraska later also adopted popular sovereignty through the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, but they were not part of the Compromise of 1850 itself.
the sovereignty of each state, known as popular sovereignty
Kansas- Nebraska Act
Kansas Nebraska Act
Stephen Douglas