Popular sovereignty in the United States

Popular sovereignty was a political doctrine in the United States that held that the people who lived in a state or region should decide what kind of government or laws they should have.^[1] Popular sovereignty allowed settlers of a territory to decide for themselves on the question of slavery without any interference from the federal government.^[2] During 19th century it was a compromise used to determine if a western territory or new state would accept or reject slavery within its borders.^[3]

It was first promoted in the 1840s. Stephen A. Douglas, one of the sponsors of the Kansas–Nebraska Act inserted it in the new law as a measure to balance slave and free states. Abraham Lincoln was one of those who did not agree.^[2] He thought Congress should regulate federal territories.^[2] The act was passed but popular sovereignty proved to have deadly consequences.^[3] When Kansas was being considered for statehood, there was a rush by both people who were for and against slavery to go to Kansas and vote on the issue of slavery.^[3] This resulted in a great deal of fraud and violence.^[3] It led directly to Bleeding Kansas, the bloody border war over slavery.^[1]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Popular Sovereignty". u-s-history.com. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "Lesson 3: The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery". National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Zach Garrison. "Popular Sovereignty". Civil War on the Western Border. Retrieved 12 June 2016.