Govt 2306 exam 1 study guide PDF

Title Govt 2306 exam 1 study guide
Author Anonymous User
Course State and Local Government
Institution The University of Texas at Dallas
Pages 38
File Size 2.2 MB
File Type PDF
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Chapter 1: Political Culture, People and Economy –





The Importance of State Government • States governed as individual units prior to the Articles of Confederation or the 1787 Constitution •

States were integral to the Articles of Confederation



State representation was integral to the 1787 Constitution

A Very Brief history of the Lone Star State – Who Has Governed Texas? – Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, USA – One of only 4 states to have been an independent nation • Vermont, California and Hawaii are the others Concept of Political Culture – Political culture – is the dominant values, attitudes and beliefs related to politics and political system – Is a set of perceptions about what government is an what it should do – is different in each state –

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American political culture emphasizes values of liberty, equality, and democracy Political socialization – The process by which culture is transmitted from one generation to the next Different types of Political Culture • Moralistic • Individualistic • Traditionalistic • •

Texas is a “Traditionalistic-Individualistic” culture California has been described as a “moralistic-individualistic” culture

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Elazar’s (1966) State Political Culture by State

Individualistic Political Culture – The belief that government should limit its role to providing order in society, so that citizens can pursue their economic self-interest interests – – – –

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Originated in middle America Citizens concerned with material wealth and personal freedom through commercial activities Politics is a profession, not the concern of citizens Limited government

Traditionalistic Political Culture The belief that government should be dominated by political elites and guided by tradition

– Originally developed in the South – Preindustrial values that emphasize social hierarchy – Emphasizes preservation of tradition and the existing social order – Public participation in government is limited – Moralistic Political Culture – The belief that government should be active in promoting the public good and that citizens should participate in politics and civic activities to ensure that good – –

Rooted in Puritan and other religious cultures Government should advance public welfare and promote common good

– Politics is the concern of everyone – Citizens should be involved in civic activities •

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Traditionalistic–Individualistic Culture (Texas’s Political Culture) • Limited Role of Government • Business influence or dominance • Elite influence • Adherence to traditional views of family & individualism – Helps explain Texans’ attitudes on issues like abortion, gay marriage & guns • Often described as “Conservative-Populist” in its orientation Text say Texas “provincialism” has declined What does the text mean by the “decline of provincialism?”



TEXT: “A narrow view of the world associated with rural values and notions of limited government…”

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Is this fair? Is this in itself an example of a narrow view of the world? Evolution of Texas in Terms of Partisanship • Historical dominance by Democratic Party, and rise of Republican Party to dominance in past several decades. – *We will come across this theme throughout the semester •



Republican Party today and since the early 2000’s controls all statewide offices from governor, legislature to judiciary

Geography of Texas • Understanding the spaces and topography of a state helps explain dynamics of political life in a state • • • •

Gulf Coastal Plains Interior Lowlands Great Plains Basin and Range Province



• The Four Regions of Texas • Gulf Coastal Plains – Timber production – Industrial boom – Urban and suburban areas • Interior Lowland – Large cattle-raising industry



The Four Regions of Texas, continued… • The Great Plains – Underwater reservoirs (Ogallala Aquifer) – Water policy is major policy in Texas • (see chapter 12) • The Basin River Province – Close to Mexico – Rain fall and population sparse



Economic Change • Cotton, cattle, oil, and high tech • Texas as a diversified economy • Schumpeterian “gales of creative destruction” and the economic change – In capitalism, the economy undergoes periodic waves of transformation fueled by technological innovations in production and distribution



• NAFTA and global economy Texas’s economy is shaped by: • Its central location in the US • Immense transportation infrastructure



12 deep-water ports – Port of Houston ranked #2 nationally for total trade and #13 globally for total cargo volume Dallas-Forth Worth airport, major national and international hub NAFTA

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North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) • Trade treaty among the US, Canada, and Mexico to lower and eliminate tariffs among the 3 countries • Created in 1992 under George H.W. Bush – Clinton signed in into law in 1993 • The US lost 683,000 jobs due to NAFTA – 55,000 displaced jobs were Texas jobs • Long term, Texas’s economy benefited from the treaty The Military in Texas • Texas military bases contribute to its economic development • Texas provided major military training in the two world wars – Over 173,000 active military, reserve military, and civilians employed by the US military living in Texas

The People of Texas: Population Growth • 1850: 210,000 • 1900: 3 million • 1950: 7.7 million • 2000: 20.8 million • 2014: 26.9 million • 2017: 28.3 million •

Implication for politics: increased representation in U.S. House of Representatives and the Electoral College



The People of Texas: Population Growth • 1900: 13 representatives, 15 electoral votes • 1960: 22 Representatives, 24 electoral votes • 2016: 36 Representatives, 38 electoral votes •









Projected: 2044 (following 2040 census) approximately 50 representatives & 52 electoral votes The People of Texas: Population Growth • 54% increase accounted for by natural increases • 16.8% international immigration • 29.7% Domestic migration

The Complex Issue of Immigration • Multiple dimensions – Economic – Social-moral – Legal • 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., and about 2 million are in Texas The Complex Issue of Immigration o Texas and Obama administration o Opposition to Obama plan to legalize those here illegally o Texas prevailed in the courts The People of Texas: Racial and Ethnic Diversity • Texas as one of most ethnically diverse states – White: 43.5% – Black: 12.5% – Latino: 38.6% – Asian/Other: 5.4% *As of 2015



Urbanization • Steady income in urbanization and decline in rural population • •



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1850: Less than 10% urban 2010: more than 85% urban

• Urbanization and Texas Cities • 3 largest cities in Texas – Houston – San Antonio – Dallas * Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is second behind Houston Per Capita Income

o Highest in and surrounding large urban areas o Lowest rural and heavily Hispanic areas

The Demographics and Political Economy of the Lone Star State By Thomas Tunstall •

Key Points o The state of Texas has captured the imagination of not only other parts of the United States, but that of the entire world since the mid-19 th century. o Cattle drives emanating from the state during the brief period from 18661884 left an indelible impression on Texas. o Texas has transitioned from a rural to urban state, and the bulk of the political clout now resides in the major metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. o Rural Texas is currently in a state of transition from predominantly agricultural economies to more mixed economies o Texas companies export far more than any other state at $251 billion annually. o With the shale revolution, the Texas oil and gas industry is undergoing a major renaissance. o Agriculture continues to be an important economic driver for Texas. o Texas will be a majority-minority state in the 21st century and faces significant challenges with regard to education policy as a result

Texas History: Rulers and Revolutionaries By Joan Mortensen •

Key Points o The history of Texas is at the heart of the mythology of the American West. o Many groups of native people had settled on Texas land over 11,000 years before the Spanish. o Although the Spanish conquistadors did not find gold in Texas, they found good grazing land for herds of horses and cattle. o La Salle’s colony Fort Saint Louis failed, but the French presence in East Texas caused the Spanish to intensify their efforts to settle Texas. o Moses Austin was the first man to get permission to bring Anglo American settlers to Spanish Texas. o After 1821, Mexico also encouraged Anglo immigration to Texas to develop the area economically. o In carrying out his father’s mission to bring Anglo settlers to Texas, Stephen Austin was pre-occupied with the issue of slavery in his negotiations with the Mexican authorities. o Haden Edwards’ efforts to create an independent Republic of Fredonia in the Nacogdoches area failed by January 1827 largely because Stephen Austin joined the Mexican forces sent to put down the rebellion.

o Mexico’s Law of 1830 prohibited slavery in Texas, and Stephen Austin feared it would doom his colonial enterprise. o In the spring of 1835, after serving time in a Mexican prison, Stephen Austin became convinced that a Texas war for independence was inevitable. o The Texas revolutionaries thought they were acting in the tradition of the American revolutionaries in 1776.

Chapter 2 Texas Constitution •

A General Overview of State Constitutions • Every state has a state constitution • Each state creates their own constitution, and each one is different • Many parts of the US Constitution was borrowed from already established state governments – The most recent Texas Constitution borrowed from the US Constitution

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The Function of a State Constitution Constitution: the legal structure of a government which establishes its power and authority as well as the limits on that power •

Legitimates political institutions by clearly explaining their source of power



Delegates power to institutions and individuals and explain how the powers should be used



Prevents concentration of political power by creating checks and balances



U.S. and Texas Constitutions • Three basic ways of describing relationship between central government and the constituent elements of the political system – Confederal – Federal – Unitary



Evolution of U.S. Constitutional Structure • U.S. since Revolutionary War •

Governed under Second Continental Congress (1777-1781)



Articles of Confederation (1781-1788) – Weak central govt. – States had great autonomy – Unicameral Congress-one state-one vote – Amendment process required unanimity











No separate executive or judiciary—functioned somewhat like a parliamentary system U.S. Constitution • U.S. Constitution: signed September 17, 1787, ratified by the ninth state on June 21, 1788. – Federal design – Republican govt. (representative government) (see Federalist 10) – Separation of powers and checks and balances (see Federalist 47 and 51). – Theory of rights Structure of the U.S. Constitution • Articles I thru VII (basic document) – I, II and III are critical, the institutional articles [legislature, executive, and Judicial] – IV federalism article – V amendment process – VI supremacy clause – VII requirements for ratifying the constitution (9 of 13 states) • Struggle for ratification and the federalist anti-federalist debate The U.S. Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments to Constitution) • 1st amendment expressive guarantees: religion (no establishment and freedom of religion), speech, press, assembly, petition against redress of grievances • 2nd amendment: right to keep and bear arms (a subject of much debate!): "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." • 4th amendment: guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure/ exclusionary rule • 5th amendment: very complex and multifaceted, addresses rights ranging from guarantees against self-incrimination, protection against double jeopardy, right to grand jury proceeding in caser of felony, due process, takings (taking of property for public purpose), trial by jury • 6th amendment: right to counsel • 8th amendment: guarantees against excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment • 9th amendment: catchall amendment, subject to considerable debate as to meaning: "enumeration...of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people." • 10th amendment: only amendment of Bill of Rights that addresses structural issues involving nation-state relationships: " powers not delegated to the U.S nor denied to the states are reserved to the states." Subsequent key amendments • Amendments affecting Congress (17th & 27th amendments)

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Amendments seeking to influence behavioral and moral character (18th amendment (Prohibition) and repeal of Prohibition (21 st amendment— ratified in record time!) • Amendments affecting right to vote: – 13th (declares slavery illegal) – 15th (cannot deny right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude) – 19th (women’s suffrage) – 23rd (D.C. residents right to vote) – 24th (anti-poll tax) – 26th (18 year olds) Fundamental Changes to Political System since the Founding o Emergence of political parties- “the factions” that Madison criticizes in Federalist 10 o Growth of judicial power o Expansion of executive authority o Expansion of bureaucratic power and rise of the administrative state o Shift in power to national govt. and reduced role of the states Overview of State Constitutions o Average length of state constitution about 26,000  US Constitution is approx. 8,700 words o Alabama – longest Constitution with approx. 174,000 words – Includes more than 766 amendments o Texas has 4th longest Constitution o Rhode Island – youngest state Constitution (1986) o Massachusetts – oldest state Constitution (1780) o Louisiana has rewritten its Constitution 11 times







17th amendment direct election of U.S. Senators 27th amendment prohibits increasing salary for MC during term in which serving Amendments affecting Executive (12th, 20th, 22nd and 25th amendments) – 12th amendment changes way E.C. votes for president and VP – 20th amendment or lame duck amendment – 22nd amendment limits president 2 terms or 10 years – 25th amendment changes presidential succession, provides mechanism for presidential disability Amendments affecting judiciary (11th) Amendments fundamentally affecting relationship between national government and states – 14th amendment and the doctrine of incorporation of Bill of Rights to the states • Due process • Equal protection • Privileges and immunities – 16th (federal income tax) and 17th amendment (see above)



Texas Constitution(s) • Political power is an artificial creation, does not reside in inherent rights of sovereigns or political leaders. Ultimate power rests with citizens. – Separation of powers – Checks and balances – Republicanism – Rights-based document



The (1876) Texas Constitution • Has more expressed, individual rights than the US Constitution that directly relate to lives of private citizens • Texas Constitution is a long, detailed document – Many items are policy issues, not constitutional issues – Amended 491 times since 1876 (673 proposed) • The amendment process is (must be) easier than the US Constitution



Constitution for Coalhuila y Texas (1827) • Mexico becomes independent from Spain in 1821 (Texas is a part of Mexico) – Governor and vice-governor elected – Unicameral legislature [12 deputies] – 4 year terms – Independent judiciary – Guarantee of liberty, security and property – Banned slavery



Constitution of Republic of Texas (1836) • Texas separates from Mexico in 1836 – Elected chief executive with considerable powers [2 year terms] – Bicameral legislature – Judicial system divided into 4 levels – Guarantee of white male suffrage – Defense of slavery



Texas Constitution of 1845 • Texas is finally annexed by the United States in 1845 – Elected governor and Lt. governor [2 year terms] – Bicameral legislature/governor with extensive appointment powers – Independent judiciary with judges appointed for six year terms



Texas Constitution of 1861 • Texas joins the Confederate States of America – Essentially same as 1845 but with strong defense for slavery – Texas declares itself a part of the Confederate States of America



Texas Constitution of 1866 • The Union wins the U.S. Civil War. All states are readmitted to the Union but are required to rewrite their Constitutions – Essentially same as 1845 and 1861 documents except repudiation of right to secession and acceptance of abolition of slavery – Blacks not given suffrage



Texas Constitution 1869 • Many former Confederate states did not adequately incorporate necessary changes in their Constitution. U.S. Congress directed states to rewrite their constitution. – Reconstruction constitution – Dominated by “Radical Republicans” – Slavery clearly abolished – Blacks given right to vote

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Vastly expanded executive authority

Constitution of 1876 (Current Texas Constitution) • Reflects influence of belief in popular control of government • Limits on government power • Agrarian interests (Influence of the Grange Movement) • Limits on government expenditure



Contents of the Texas Constitution • Article I: Bill of rights – [all “free men” have equal rights…], freedom of religion, no religion test, liberty of speech and press, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, excessive bails, bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, double jeopardy, right to trial by jury, right to bear arms… – Prohibits primogeniture and ental (laws requiring oldest son to receive inheritance •

Article II: Powers of Govt.



Article III: Legislature – legislative structure and powers, bicameralism, 2 and 4 year terms for House and Senate members, respectively. One half members of Senate elected every 2 years



Article IV: Executive – Plural executive: Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Controller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Land office, Attorney General

Article V: Judiciary (two Supreme Courts) Article VI: Suffrage Article VII: Education—efficient system of free public schools Article VIII: Taxation and Revenue Articles IX and XI: Local government Articles X, XII, XIII and XIV: Specific topics Article XV: Impeachment of public officials Article XVI: “catchall” covering a vast range of issues relating to policy details o Article XVII: Amendment process- 2/3 votes of Legislature (both houses) adopted by voters

o o o o o o o o





Sharpstown and the Failure of Constitutional Reform in 1974 • Scandals among Texas Democrat officials prompted reform in the government • Texans...


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