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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The ideals of the French Revolution and its emphasis on popular sovereignty disseminated quickly.
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Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The revolutions produced a set of political systems that balanced the privileges of property-owning elites, professional groups, and the church with broad popular sovereignty and individual rights—a balance that characterizes many political revolutions to this day.
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—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
The revolutions produced a set of political systems that balanced the privileges of property-owning elites, professional groups, and the church with broad popular sovereignty and individual rights—a balance that characterizes many political revolutions to this day.
—Maurizio Isabella, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Each new nation-state meant a new claim of popular sovereignty, empowering the many to expropriate the property of the few.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2019
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Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The revolutions produced a set of political systems that balanced the privileges of property-owning elites, professional groups, and the church with broad popular sovereignty and individual rights—a balance that characterizes many political revolutions to this day.
Loading...
—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
The revolutions produced a set of political systems that balanced the privileges of property-owning elites, professional groups, and the church with broad popular sovereignty and individual rights—a balance that characterizes many political revolutions to this day.
—Maurizio Isabella, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Each new nation-state meant a new claim of popular sovereignty, empowering the many to expropriate the property of the few.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2019
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 3 Mar. 2025.
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