Popular Sovereignty -
In the preamble of the United States Constitution, the very first line states "We the people..." This is a bold phrase that announces to the world that in the United States, the people establish government and give it it's power. The citizens of the US are sovereign. Sovereign is defined as "one that exercises supreme, permanent authority, especially in a nation or other governmental unit." This means that the government receives its power from the people and the people only, it can not govern without their consent.
Examples of Popular Sovereignty:
1. The Constitution (September 17, 1787)
- The first and most important example of popular sovereignty is the Constitution itself. This is the very document that gives the common people power and protects their rights from an oppressive government and instead allows for one ruled by the people, for the people.
2. Voting for Government Officials
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3. Voting to Impeach Government Officials
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How Has Popular Sovereignty Been Applied Over Time?
1. The Petition of Right (1628) stated that no man should be “compelled to make
or yield any gift, loan, benevolence, tax, or such like charge, without common
consent by act of parliament.”
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2. The English Bill of Rights (1689) required that all parliamentary elections be
free.
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3. In the Royal Colonies the lower house of a bicameral legislature was
elected by those property owners qualified to vote.
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4. In the Charter Colonies, the governors of Connecticut
and Rhode Island
were elected each year and made property owners in each colony.
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5. With the passage of The Stamp Act (1765) by Parliament, colonists had to pay a tax on all legal documents and newspapers. They responded to this by forming Committee's of Correspondence which carried out organized resistance.
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6. This idea of organized resistance spread throughout the colonies, and British authorities met increasing resistance in response to the taxes imposed.
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7. The people of the colonies also supported a boycott of British goods in response to The Stamp Act.
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8. The Declaration of Independence claimed it was the right and duty of the
people to abolish a corrupt government and establish a new one.
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9. Massachusetts sent an example by sending its first State Constitution to the voters for ratification.
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10. After that, most states constitutions contained the concept of popular sovereignty.
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