CONSERVATISM IN TEXAS AND TEXAS GOVERNORS
FOLLOWING RECONSTRUCTION
• The end of Reconstruction and the return of
"home rule" by conservative whites in Texas
kicked off a period of Democratic Party
dominance that would last though the rest of the
nineteenth century and well into the twentieth
century.
• The Democrats of this period constituted a
different party than the present-day Democratic
Party.
•
• The party was dominated by white interests
dedicated to maintaining segregation, using
racial appeals, patronage, and the suppression
of black voters to maintain their hold on
elections and government.
• An alternative political party that grew out of a
group of farmer and rancher cooperatives known
as the Farmer's Alliance. The Alliance became
politically active in the state in 1878.
• The movement joined with other reform groups
to become the People's Party in 1891, and
afterwards the "Populists," as they were often
called, won elected public offices in Texas and
other states.
• The Populists attracted Democratic voters and
activists on reform issues. As a result, Populist
successes aggravated divisions in the dominant
Democratic Party.
• Texas remained intact as the nineteenth
century ended and the new century began.
• The Populist insurgency proclaimed
tensions that would eventually split the
Democrats in Texas and in the nation.
CONSERVATISM IN TEXAS
• Texas was a one party (Democratic) state since
1874.
• Texas has always been a conservative state.
• In 1952 some Democrats supported the
Republican Dwight Eisenhower for President.
• 1960s The Democratic Party supported civil rights,
affirmative action, and other liberal programs. The
Conservative Democrats didn’t support these
programs, so many of them began voting republican.
• 1961 John Tower was elected as the first Republican
Senator from Texas since reconstruction.
• Phil Gramm won his seat in Congress as a Democrat,
then switched parties. He then was elected to the
Senate as a Republican .
CONSERVATISM IN TEXAS
• 1978 William Clements became Texas’
1st Republican Governor since
Reconstruction
• 2000 George W Bush became
President and Rick Perry became
Governor.
• All top political offices in the state were Republican.
• Phil Gramm, Kay Baily Hutchison, Tom Delay and
Dick Armey represented Texas in the US Congress.
• Not only did people in the Democrat Party change
to the Republican Party, but people also migrated to
Texas from other states and brought their
Republican views with them.
ANN RICHARDS EXPLAINS HOW THE 2 PARTY
SYSTEM BEGINS IN TEXAS
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8K-UWscB10
•
23:29 – 24:28
EVANGELISM
In the 1970s, conservative Christians, many of whom had placed
themselves in a distinct subculture, began returning to the cultural
mainstream. Initially, they met with only limited success, and many
observers ignored their entrepreneurial creativity and strong resolve to
change America. Also, few connected evangelicals’ activism in politics
with activism in other spheres, even though evangelicals regard these as
more important.
Theirs is an ambitious agenda: to bring Christian principles to bear on a
range of social issues .It is a vision for moral leadership, a form of public
influence that is shaped by ethics and faith while also being powerful and
respected. In truth, their vision is much less–and at the same time
significantly more–than skeptics and critics think. To the extent that the
activities of evangelical leaders point to a cohesive vision, it is not a
political or cultural agenda but one grounded in religious commitment.
• Fundamentally, evangelicals feel compelled to share with others
what they believe is the best way to make peace with God. For
them, one’s relationship with the divine is primary; all other
issues are secondary. This is not new, and, in fact, it is a much
smaller vision for society, one that involves changing one
person at a time. What is unique to the current moment is the
number of high ranking leaders who have experienced that
change themselves, either before they rose to power or while in
public leadership. For many of them, the evangelical imperative
to bring faith into every sphere of one’s life means they cannot
expunge faith from the way they lead, as some would prefer. In
this way, the evangelical vision is sweeping and significantly
more comprehensive than outside observers realize.
• Evangelical political leaders have incorporated
their faith into the way they lead.
TEXAS GOVERNORS
1979 to present day
BILL CLEMENTS
January 16, 1979 - January 18, 1983
January 20, 1987 - January 15, 1991
Republican
First Republican Governor elected since 1874
# 42
#44
MARK WHITE
January 18, 1983 - January 20, 1987
Democrat
#43
BILL CLEMENTS
January 16, 1979 - January 18, 1983
January 20, 1987 - January 15, 1991
Republican
First Republican Governor elected since 1874
# 42
#44
ANN RICHARDS
January 15, 1991 - January 17, 1995
Democrat
#45
ANN RICHARDS
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8K-UWscB10
•
17:00 – 21:00
GEORGE W BUSH
January 17, 1995 - December 21, 2000
Republican
#46
43rd President of the United States
2001–2000
GEORGE G BUSH
•
http://www.biography.com/people/george-w-bush-9232768/videos/george-w-bush-minibiography-2078942607
RICK PERRY
December 21, 2000 – to present time
Republican
#47
He has been Governor longer than any other
Governor in Texas. 14 years
Republican
Democrat
Governor
#48?
Election Day
Nov. 4, 2014
Wendy Davis
Texas State Senator
Greg Abbott
Texas Attorney General
QUESTIONS
• Why was Texas a one party state?
• Explain the change of a one party state to a 2 party
state. Give reasons why it is a 2 party state.
• Do you think Texas will be led by Democrats or
Republicans in the next 10 years? Explain your answer.