popular sovereignty
noun
1
: a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject to the will of the people
2
: a pre-Civil War doctrine asserting the right of the people living in a newly organized territory to decide by vote of their territorial legislature whether or not slavery would be permitted there
Examples of popular sovereignty in a Sentence
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In many parts of the world, the radical belief in popular sovereignty undid the hold of the notion of the divine right of kings, just as expanding commerce created a wealthy merchant class eager for greater political say.
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Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
This is a huge tension in the early republic, because the revolution had been about liberty, popular sovereignty, representative government.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Under popular sovereignty, the government's authority comes from the people.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2023
In a democracy, the key principle of legitimacy is not libertarian theories of rights but rather popular sovereignty.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
This is a huge tension in the early republic, because the revolution had been about liberty, popular sovereignty, representative government.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Under popular sovereignty, the government's authority comes from the people.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2023
In a democracy, the key principle of legitimacy is not libertarian theories of rights but rather popular sovereignty.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for popular sovereignty
Cite this Entry
“Popular sovereignty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popular%20sovereignty. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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