William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
Abstract
The author discusses the idea and meaning of sovereignty as a system, and how colonial Americans held a more complex view of sovereignty than the British of the time. The American idea of popular sovereignty – as supported by Lincoln during the Civil War – is an amalgam of interlocking principles: rule of law, limited government, individual rights, equal political rights, separation of church and state, limited state sovereignty, and national sovereignty. The author goes on to explain how each of these values contributes to the larger system of popular sovereignty. Using constitutional case law, he describes how they have evolved since the founding of the United States and ends with what roles they might play in the future.