Class Lecture #3
GOVT 2301
American Government I
BOOK: AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER 21: The Texas Constitution
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Brief Introduction
How many words you have in the Texas Constitution?
How many words you have in the U.S. Constitution?
What state Constitution is the longest in the country?
How many amendments you have in the Texas Constitution?
What state Constitution has the most amendments?
How many amendments you have in the U.S. Constitution?
What type of legislature did the Texas Constitution establish?
Mention the two chambers that compose the state’s legislature.
How many members compose the Texas House?
How many members compose the Texas Senate?
a. Jacksonian Democracy
11. What important aspect of Jacksonian democracy [1830s-1854] is followed in the Texas
Constitution?
12. What is known as the long ballot?
13. Explain why the long ballot became part of Jacksonian democracy.
14. How this belief of increasing the franchise was applied during the period of Jacksonian democracy.
15. What happened as a result of the elimination of the property requirement?
b. Plural Executive
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What type of executive did the Texas Constitution establish?
Explain what the plural executive is.
How is this arrangement different from the federal government?
Explain what a unitary executive is.
Mention some of the executive officials that form part of the plural executive in Texas.
Historical Background
Originally, what is today Texas [Tejas] belonged to what country?
Originally, what is today Mexico [New Spain] belonged to what country?
When Mexico achieved independence from Spain?
What happened as a result of Mexico’s independence?
What serious problems Mexico was facing after independence?
a. Anglophone Immigration
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What plan Mexico implemented to help populate its northern territories?
When the first American immigrants began to move into Texas?
Who was mainly responsible for bringing thousands of Anglo families into Texas?
What Mexico was counting on by allowing English-speaking immigrants into Texas?
b. Dissatisfied Immigrants
30. What happened to Mexico’s plan to populate Texas with English-speaking immigrants?
31. What was the result of this lack of assimilation?
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III.
Declaration of Independence
When Texas declared independence from Mexico?
Mention the issues that led Anglophones in Texas to declare independence from Mexico.
Why slavery existed in Texas?
Where else slavery existed in the Americas?
Why this was the case?
Why Mexico put an end to further American migration into Texas?
The Republic of Texas
a. The 1836 Constitution
38. When Texas became the Republic of Texas?
39. Mention some of the provisions contained in the Constitution of the Republic of Texas (1836).
40. Why Texas wanted to join the U.S.?
IV.
The Annexation of Texas
a. The 1845 Constitution
41. When Texas joined the U.S.?
42. By Texas joining the U.S., how many states made the Union?
43. Mention the most important elements of the Texas Constitution of 1845.
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The Mexican-American War and its Aftermath
What event was triggered by the U.S. annexation of Texas?
How the war ended?
Explain the main consequence of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848.
Mention the territories ceded by Mexico to the U.S.
a. The Expansion of Slavery
48. What important issue was revived with the acquisition of these new territories?
49. Why this issue became very important?
50. What happened to North-South relations during this period?
b. The Compromise of 1850
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Explain what the Compromise of 1850 was.
Explain what territorial popular sovereignty was.
Mention the main consequences of the principle popular sovereignty.
Explain who the Whigs were.
Explain what a free soiler was.
Explain why the Compromise of 1850 led to the disappearance of the Whig Party.
Explain what the Missouri Compromise was.
c.
The Republican Party
58. What was the main reason for the formation of the Republican Party in 1854?
59. Mention some of the main issues supported by the Republicans.
60. Because of these issues, what became of the Republican Party?
d. Secession from the Union
61. What issue sparked among the Southern States the desire to separate from the U.S.?
62. What was the decision taken by Southern politicians as a result of Lincoln’s election?
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63. When secession began?
e. The Confederacy
64. What the seceding states created?
65. When Texas joined the CSA [Confederate States of America]?
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The 1861 Texas Constitution
66. Explain what the Texas Civil War Constitution [1861] was.
67. Mention some of the provisions of Texas’ Civil War Constitution.
68. When the Civil War ended?
VI.
Reconstruction
69. Explain what Reconstruction was.
70. Mention the two periods of Reconstruction.
71. Explain the main issues addressed by Reconstruction.
a. Presidential Reconstruction
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Explain what Presidential Reconstruction was.
What condition was required for Texas to join the Union?
Mention some of the most important provisions of the Constitution of 1866.
When Texas rejoined the Union under Presidential Reconstruction?
Explain why Republicans were opposed to President Jonson’s Reconstruction policies.
How the former Confederate states denied freedmen their rights?
Explain what Black Codes were.
Mention some of the rights denied to blacks under these codes.
Mention the main consequences that resulted from Democrats denying freedmen their 2 nd
Amendment right.
b. Congressional Reconstruction
81. Explain what Congressional Reconstruction was.
82. What was the main consequence of congressional Reconstruction?
83. Mention some of the measures passed by the Republicans in Congress.
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The Military Reconstruction Act of 1867
How the Republicans achieved these policies?
What was the purpose of this Act?
Why the white Southern leadership detested the rule of the U.S. Army?
What are known as the Reconstruction Amendments?
Why Republicans passed the 14th and 15th amendments?
d. The 14th Amendment
89. Mention the main clauses of the 14th Amendment.
90. Explain the importance of the Citizenship Clause.
91. Mention the two conditions for American citizenship established by the 14 th Amendment’s
citizenship clause.
e. Dred Scott v. Sanford [1857]
92. Explain why the Republicans felt compelled to create a citizenship clause in the 14 th Amendment.
93. Explain what this Supreme Court case was.
94. What was the decision of the Democratic dominated Court?
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Why this case became so controversial?
Mention some of the other claims made by the Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford.
How did Lincoln and other Republicans like Fredrick Douglas react to the decision in Dred Scott?
What was the importance of the 15th Amendment?
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The 1869 Texas Constitution
99. Mention some of the most important components of the 1869 Texas Constitution.
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Who became the first governor of Texas under the new constitution?
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Mention some of the policies adopted during the Davis administration.
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How Democrats in Texas viewed the 1869 Constitution?
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When was Texas readmitted into the Union under Congressional Reconstruction?
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What happened in 1874 when Democrats regained control of the legislature in Texas?
VIII.
The End of Reconstruction
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For how long military rule lasted in the South?
Why Republicans pulled the troops from the South?
What happened after the U.S. Army withdrew from the South?
THE 1876 TEXAS CONSTITUTION
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What is the main characteristic of the 1876 Texas Constitution?
What is the main consequence of this?
Mention some of the most important components of the 1876 Texas Constitution.
What is the current salary of Texas legislators?
How many members the Texas House has?
How many members the Texas Senate has?
What is a biennial legislature?
When the Texas legislature is in session?
How long a regular session of the Texas Legislature lasts?
a. Fiscal Policy
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What is a budget deficit?
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Can Texas engage in deficit spending like the federal government?
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Why not?
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What is deficit spending?
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What options are open to the state when it confronts a budget shortfall?
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Traditionally, what option the state has followed?
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What vote is required in the legislature to run a budget deficit when no other options are
available?
b. Dedicated Funds
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Explain what dedicated funds are.
Mention some of the dedicated funds in the Texas Constitution.
What is the Dedicated Highway Fund?
What is the current principal of the DHF?
What is the Permanent University Fund?
What is the current principal of the PUF?
What is the Rainy Day Fund?
What is the current principal of the RDF?
Amending the Constitution
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What is required to amend the Texas Constitution?
a. No to a State Income Tax
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What happened to the 1975 constitutional amendments that would have basically created
new constitution for Texas?
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What was the main issue that voters opposed in the 1975 constitutional election?
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What is a state income tax?
b. The Marriage Amendment
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What amendment to the Texas Constitution voters approved in 2005?
Explain what the Texas Marriage Amendment is.
When was the last time we had an amendment election in Texas?
c.
Selling State Bonds
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What was the purpose of that constitutional election?
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Explain what a bond is.
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What is the purpose of these state bonds?
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Who can buy these bonds?
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Why people buy state bonds?
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Who approves the issue of these bonds?
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What is the bonded indebtedness of the state?
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What other states have a larger bond debt than Texas?
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How much the state is paying on interest on its bond debt?
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Mention some of the most important measures adopted by voters during the 2007
amendment election.
149.
Mention some of the proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution for the November 8,
2011 special election.
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