Under popular sovereignty, who votes to determine slavery status in a territory?

• A. Congress
• B. Territorial voters
• C. President
• D. Supreme Court

Answer: (B)

Popular sovereignty is the idea that the people living in a territory should decide, through voting, whether slavery will be legal there. In this setup, the decision is made by the residents of the territory—the territorial voters—rather than by the federal government or courts. The Kansas-Nebraska Act popularized this approach in the mid-1800s, aiming to leave the slavery question up to those who would live under the law. Because the authority rests with the people of the territory, it is the territorial voters who determine slavery status, not Congress, the President, or the Supreme Court. This system, while democratic in spirit, often led to intense conflict as different sides rushed to influence the vote.