A desire for self-government : slavery in the early American territories -- "Shall the creature govern the creator"? : self-government and the Missouri Compromise -- "Forgotten principles of their forefathers": retreat from the Missouri Compromise -- "A fit of convulsions" : the Wilmot Proviso and slavery in the West -- "Intended to delude the South" : northern Democrats redefine popular sovereignty -- "Shall the conquered govern the conqueror"? : popular sovereignty in the Mexican cession -- "A recurrence to first principles" : Kansas-Nebraska and popular sovereignty -- "Moves on the political chess-board" : southerners redefine popular sovereignty -- Epilogue : the demise of popular sovereignty and the crisis of the union.
