<P> Popular sovereignty , or the sovereignty of the people 's rule , is the principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people , through their elected representatives ( Rule by the People ) , who are the source of all political power . It is closely associated with social contract philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes , John Locke and Jean - Jacques Rousseau . Popular sovereignty expresses a concept and does not necessarily reflect or describe a political reality . The people have the final say in government decisions . Benjamin Franklin expressed the concept when he wrote , `` In free governments , the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns '' . </P>
<P> Popular sovereignty , or the sovereignty of the people 's rule , is the principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people , through their elected representatives ( Rule by the People ) , who are the source of all political power . It is closely associated with social contract philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes , John Locke and Jean - Jacques Rousseau . Popular sovereignty expresses a concept and does not necessarily reflect or describe a political reality . The people have the final say in government decisions . Benjamin Franklin expressed the concept when he wrote , `` In free governments , the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns '' . </P>
what believe is the principle of popular sovereignty based upon
what believe is the principle of popular sovereignty based upon
social contract
social contract