What policy allowed the people in a territory to decide on the legality of slavery?

The policy that allowed the people in a territory to decide on the legality of slavery is known as popular sovereignty. This concept emerged primarily as a response to the contentious debates surrounding the expansion of slavery into new territories during the mid-19th century, particularly highlighted in the context of the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

Under popular sovereignty, the residents of a territory were given the right to vote and make decisions regarding whether to permit slavery, rather than having this issue dictated by Congress or federal law. This approach aimed to ease tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions by allowing territories to self-determine their stance on slavery, reflecting a broader democratic principle in governance.

Other options, while related to governance concepts, do not specifically pertain to the issue of slavery in the same direct manner. State sovereignty refers to the authority of a state to govern itself, often in relation to the limits of federal power. Territorial governance involves the general administration of a territory but does not explicitly define the role of local decision-making on slavery. Community rights pertain to the rights of a community often in localized issues but lack the broader legislative framework that popular sovereignty provides in terms of voting on slavery.