what does the author mean in saying that popular sovereignty " undermined the Missouri compromise
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c. Popular sovereignty undermined the Missouri Compromise by allowing settlers in the territories to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery, rather than having the decision made by Congress.
To understand what the author means by saying that popular sovereignty "undermined the Missouri Compromise," we need to examine the concepts of popular sovereignty and the Missouri Compromise.
Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of the government is derived from the people, who elect their representatives to make decisions on their behalf. In the context of the United States, popular sovereignty played a significant role in the debate over slavery in the 19th century.
The Missouri Compromise was a piece of legislation enacted by the United States Congress in 1820. It aimed to address the issue of the expansion of slavery into new territories acquired from the Louisiana Purchase. The compromise stated that Missouri would be admitted as a slave state, while Maine would be admitted as a free state, in order to maintain a balance between the number of slave and free states in the Union. Additionally, the compromise drew an imaginary line across the Louisiana Territory, prohibiting slavery in any territory north of the 36°30' parallel.
Now, when the author states that popular sovereignty "undermined the Missouri Compromise," it means that allowing each territory to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty put the compromise at risk. Under popular sovereignty, the residents of a territory would vote to determine whether to allow slavery or not when applying for statehood. This approach meant that the previously agreed-upon restriction on slavery north of the 36°30' parallel could be ignored if the majority of residents in a territory favored slavery.
As new territories were acquired and sought statehood, the implementation of popular sovereignty led to an erosion of the Missouri Compromise's intentions. Southerners, who favored the expansion of slavery, saw popular sovereignty as an opportunity to extend slavery into territories north of the 36°30' parallel, including Kansas. This led to conflicts such as "Bleeding Kansas," where violence erupted between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the territory.
In summary, by introducing the concept of popular sovereignty, which allowed territories to decide on slavery, the Missouri Compromise's restriction on slavery north of the 36°30' parallel was challenged and ultimately undermined. This led to heightened tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, contributing to the overall issue of slavery in the United States.
Popular sovereignty refers to the idea that the authority and power of the government is based on the consent of its citizens. The Missouri Compromise was an agreement made in 1820 to maintain a balance between free states and slave states in the United States. It prohibited slavery in the northern part of the Louisiana Territory (except for Missouri) and allowed it in the southern part.
When the author says that popular sovereignty "undermined" the Missouri Compromise, it means that the concept of allowing the residents of a territory to decide whether to allow slavery or not (popular sovereignty) was in conflict with the clear boundary set by the Missouri Compromise regarding where slavery was permitted. This idea challenged the compromise's effectiveness in maintaining the balance between free and slave states and opened the door for further debates and conflicts over the expansion of slavery in new territories.