GOVT 2306 - Review for Unit I PDF

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Download GOVT 2306 - Review for Unit I PDF

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Review Sheet for Exam I Caddo - Which group primarily settled in the eastern part of what we now called Texas? Comanches - Which of the following tribes was among those that eventually became part of the great horse cultures in North America? The first modern European nation to lay claim to the territory of Texas was… - Spain Why did the French settlement attempted near Matagorda Bay fail? - The expedition was under-supplied and poorly led What is a presidio? - A fortified settlement The first area settled by the Tejanos was… - The Rio Grande Valley Of the six flags flown over Texas, which represented republics? - Texas and Mexico Nathaniel P. Banks - Who led the Army of the Gulf in a show of force designed to discourage French support of the Confederacy? Two major ideological groups in Texas during the era of Reconstruction were…. - Confederate sympathizers and Republics The "carpetbagger's constitution" reversed which right of former slaves and whites who had participated in the Civil War? - Suffrage-right to vote Election of 1874 - Southern Democrats were able to regain control of state government with the election of 1874 Approximately how long did one-party Democratic rule last in Texas? - 100 Years Which of the following elements dominated the land-based economy of post-Reconstruction Texas and is/are still important today? - Oil, cotton, and cattle sitio or legua - Mexican governments provided generous land grants to any families willing to settle in the state. The sitio or legua each family could receive was more than 4000 acres What was the primary use of land in Texas from the 1820s to the 1860s? - Cotton

In the years following the Civil War, ________ became Texas's economic mainstay. - Cattle Between 1900 and 1950, what accelerated the demographic shift from a rural society to an urban society in Texas? - Oil What industry dominates the Texas economy, employing nearly 80 percent of the private sector workforce? - The service industry evangelical Protestants - Members of which group overwhelmingly identify Republican? moralistic political subculture - A belief that the government is a positive instrument for change and a means for promoting the general welfare of all citizens individualistic political subculture - John believes that government’s primary purpose is to defend the country and build roads. Additionally, he believes in low pay and term limits for political offices. John is demonstrating the beliefs of the individualistic political subculture traditionalistic political subculture - Which political subculture was a natural extension of the practice of slavery? Which group was forced to adopt the traditionalistic political subculture because of their subservient role? - African Americans Classical liberalism - Focuses on the protection of a generally free market economy social contract theory - The notion that all individuals’ posses’ inalienable rights and willingly submit to government to protect those rights is embodied in the social contract theory theory of popular sovereignty - The theory of popular sovereignty holds that all power rests with the people Extra: Which of the following is NOT among the characteristics shared by all state constitutions? - The requirement that citizens approve any changes Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution - Article 6 of the US Constitution contains the Supremacy clause establishing the US Constitution as the law of the land that no federal or state law may violate Supremacy clause - Established the US Constitution as the law of the land that no federal or state law may violate

Republic of Mexico's constitution - Which constitution was the first to govern Anglos in Texas? Reconstruction constitution - Which constitution was pejoratively known as the “carpetbagger’s constitution”? "carpetbagger's constitution" - The reconstruction constitution was pejoratively known as the “carpetbagger’s constitution” The current Texas Constitution was approved by voters in…. - 1876 The Spanish constitutions contributed what key element to the political climate of Texas? - Property rights for women In addition to a preamble and appendix, how many articles are contained in the Texas Constitution? - 17 What does the Texas Constitution contain that the U.S. Constitution does not? - Equal rights amendment Why might the partisan election of judges be cause for concern? - Judicial decisions may be politicized Article 1 of the Texas Constitution - Bill of Rights Why does the Texas Constitution create a fragmented executive branch? - To limit the power of the governor Extra: The articles of the Texas Constitution that define the creation and structure of counties in the state provide for a fairy ___ system that counties are required to abide by. - Inflexible Ideally, a constitution should… - Be brief Which state's constitution is the longest? - At 376, 006 words, Alabama’s constitution is the longest Except in the state of Delaware, two steps are involved in changing constitutions: - Proposal of amendments and citizen approval Why are state constitutions amended more frequently than the U.S. Constitution? - State constitutions deal with a wider range of functions Between 1975 and 2011, the Texas legislature proposed 290 amendments for voter approval, and of these, voters accepted ________ percent. - 85 Which of the following aspects of the process of amending the state constitution contributes to low voter turnout?

- Odd-year elections, low interest in the issues, confusing ballot wording Many reformers believe the Texas Constitution is in need of a comprehensive revision. Why is this unlikely to happen? - Strong distrust of government What was the result of a bill introduced in 1999 calling for a general revision of the Texas Constitution? - It died in committee Federalism - The system that provides for a sharing of powers between the national government and the state governments is known as federalism Tenth Amendment - Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution contains this statement? “The powers not delegated to the United Sates by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Necessary and Proper Clause - By what authority did the U.S. Congress create a national bank in 1790? national bank - Was created in 1790 by the U.S. Congress under the authority of the Necessary and Proper Clause What percentage of the Texas Senate is elected during a presidential election year? - 50 percent In 2010, there were about 811,147 constituents per state senate district in Texas. What is the only state that had more constituents per senator? - California In what way are Texas, Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota similar? - The legislature of each state only meets every other year special legislative sessions - There is no annual limit on special legislative sessions in the state of Texas Which state does not pay its legislators a salary except for a per diem expense based on federal policy? - New Mexico To be eligible to run for the Texas House you must… - Be a registered voter "birthright" characteristics” - Dimensions of a candidate such as race, ethnicity, religion, and national background are sometimes called “birthright” characteristics Why was the Legislative Redistricting Board's multimember plan invalidated by a federal court in 1971?

- Possible unfairness to minority voters Geographical representation - Multimember districts promote majority representation or domination, and singlemember districts can promote geographical representation Redistricting - Generally synonymous with reapportionment In the early twentieth century ________ areas were generally overrepresented in many state legislatures. Why? - Rural areas because congressional districts were drawn to favor rural areas Most campaign contributions come from… - Contributors who live outside the district Each election year, about ________ of the House members face opposition in the general election. - One-third Powers of speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives. - Which of the following is NOT among the powers of the speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives? Appoints all members of standing committees The lieutenant governor is not formally a senator and cannot vote except in cases of a tie, yet he or she has great power over the senate. Why? - Powers similar to those of the speaker of the house conference committee - Assume both the Texas House and Senate have passed omnibus transportation bills. The bills are almost identical, with slight differences. How will these differences be reconciled prior to the bill being sent to the governor for consideration? standing committee - Which type of legislative committee is most important? Standing Committee. the Legislative Budget Board - Who submits a recommended budget to the Texas legislature? legislative oversight - The House Insurance Committee is hearing testimony from the Texas Department of insurance about the effectiveness of recent procedural changes within the department. Which legislative function is this committee demonstrating? Extra: In any given legislative session, most bills … - Make only minor changes to existing law After the sixtieth day, before a bill can be considered on the floor of the senate, a two-thirds vote is almost always required. Why? 0 Senate rules about the order bills come out of committee Closed riders

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Closed riders are amendments to an appropriations bill that are shielded from public inspective until they go to conference committee Trustee representation - A state senator that usually considers all the options and then chooses the one he or she believes is the best is demonstrating the trustee representational role What are the two different calendars for minor bills in the Texas State House? - Local and consent Extra: Which of the following describes how major and minor bills submitted in the Texas legislature are similar? - They receive final action toward the end of the legislative session...