Describe the concept of Popular Sovereignty as it was used in the years leading up to the civil war.
Unsure about this question, don't know exactly what it's about.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h228.html
thanks that helped :)
in simple terms, its majority of the people who vote for something
The concept of Popular Sovereignty is an important aspect of democracy and political theory. It refers to the idea that the authority and power to govern rest with the people.
In the years leading up to the Civil War in the United States, Popular Sovereignty played a significant role in the debate over the issue of slavery and the expansion of slave states. At that time, the nation was divided over whether new territories should allow slavery or be free from it.
Popular Sovereignty was proposed as a compromise solution to this issue. It suggested that the residents of a territory would have the right to determine whether their region would be a slave state or a free state through a popular vote. This meant that the people who lived in the territory would have the power to decide their own fate, and their decision would ultimately shape the status of slavery in that region.
The concept gained prominence with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which allowed the people of those territories to decide the slavery question through Popular Sovereignty. This led to a significant increase in tensions between anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions, as both sides sought to influence the outcome of the votes. The competing interests and violent clashes that resulted from Popular Sovereignty in Kansas, known as "Bleeding Kansas," further escalated the conflict between the North and the South.
Ultimately, Popular Sovereignty failed to ease tensions and prevent the Civil War. The issue of slavery was so deeply divisive that no compromise could fully satisfy both sides. However, the concept of Popular Sovereignty reflected the democratic ideals of self-determination and highlighted the importance of public opinion in shaping the destiny of a nation.