Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) Social Science Practice Test

The principle of popular sovereignty was a central feature of which act?

1. The Missouri Compromise

2. The Kansas-Nebraska Act

3. The Compromise of 1850

4. The Dred Scott Decision

The correct answer is: The Kansas-Nebraska Act

The principle of popular sovereignty was central to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This legislative act allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to determine for themselves whether they would enter the Union as free or slave states. By doing so, it embodied the idea that the authority of government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of political power. This approach was significant during a period of intense national conflict over the expansion of slavery into new territories and states. The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, which had previously established a boundary for the spread of slavery, allowing instead for the residents of these territories to choose their own paths regarding slavery. This led to significant turmoil and violence in Kansas, often referred to as "Bleeding Kansas," as pro- and anti-slavery factions clashed over the future of the territory. The other options involve significant events in U.S. history, but they do not encapsulate the principle of popular sovereignty in the same manner. The Missouri Compromise was about maintaining a balance between free and slave states without implementing popular sovereignty. The Compromise of 1850 included various measures to address sectional conflict but did not solely hinge on the consent of the territory's inhabitants