noun
1. : a doctrine in political theory that sovereignty is vested in the people as a whole rather than in a particular individual or group (as a ruling dynasty) and as a result that government is created by and subject to the will of the people
establish the doctrine of popular sovereignty as the foundation of modern Europe — Times Literary Supplement
— compare limited 2, majority rule , social contract
2. : a principal doctrine of the pre-Civil War controversy over slavery specifying that the people of a territory like the people of a state should be free to regulate their domestic concerns without Congressional interference ; specifically : the 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 in the territory