Popular Sovereignty
The principle of Popular Sovereignty states that all political power resides with the people. Therefore, the government can only govern with the consent of the people.
For example, if the government want to pass a certain law, the law must be presented to the people in order for consideration. This is why it is important for all American citizens to vote, so that they will have a say in the way that the American government governs the people. |
Examples of Popular Sovereignty:Two examples of popular sovereignty are the 9th and 10th amendment.
The 9th amendment states "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The 10th amendment tells the people that "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people" Another example of popular sovereignty was during the Civil War. There were slave states and free states. The government did not decide what states were going to be free states or slave states, they left it up for the individual states to decide. |