Sovereignty means having complete power and authority to govern yourself or your territory without interference from outside forces. A sovereign nation makes its own laws, controls its own borders, and answers to no higher authority.

When the American colonies declared independence in 1776, they were claiming sovereignty: the right to govern themselves rather than submit to British rule. Before that moment, Britain had sovereignty over the colonies. After the Revolutionary War, the United States became a sovereign nation.

The word comes from the old idea of a sovereign, meaning a king or queen with supreme power. Today, we mostly use it to talk about countries. Each sovereign nation has the right to make its own decisions about everything from education to defense, even if other countries disagree with those choices. When diplomats talk about respecting sovereignty, they mean not interfering in another country's internal affairs.

Within a country, you might hear debates about where sovereignty truly lies. In a democracy, people say sovereignty belongs to the citizens, who grant power to elected leaders. The U.S. Constitution begins with “We the People,” expressing the idea that ultimate authority rests with the nation's citizens.

Individual states also have some sovereignty under the U.S. federal system: they can make their own laws about many issues, though federal law takes precedence in certain areas. This balance between state and federal sovereignty has shaped American history and politics since the nation's founding.