In early October, as they reached the Humboldt River in central Nevada, supplies were perilously low, animals were dying, days were hot and tempers short. While driving his wagon up a steep, sandy slope, the young teamster John Snyder began to beat his oxen with a whip handle. Reed intervened, and Snyder's frustration turned on him. With the butt of his whip he slashed Reed's forehead. Reed drew a knife, in self-defense. Snyder struck again, and Reed stabbed him in the chest. Within half an hour the young man was dead. Feelings against Reed ran so strong, some wanted to hang him. But others spoke out in his behalf. A compromise was struck, and he was banished.
An effective way to manage the situation is by having to set
the difference in the status aside because by doing this, both parties are
equal and are free to talk regarding the issue without having to be limited
just because the other is likely to have a higher in status and by doing so,
the conflict may be resolved easily.
Thomas Hobbes
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.
