Chapter 1 Study Guide - Political Culture, People & Economy of Texas

What can be inferred from the information in the chart?

- If current trends continue, Latinos will be the largest single demographic segment of the state population in the near future. - Texas will become more firmly positioned as a majority minority state.

How has Texas benefited from the United States' membership in NAFTA?

- It helped speed up a diversified economy - Texas goods have had more access to foreign markets - Trade stimulated growth along Texas's border

Texas is often described as sharing features of both individualistic and traditionalistic political cultures for which of the following reasons?

- Taxes are kept low, and social services are minimized. - Political elites, such as business leaders, have a dominant voice in how the state is run. - Texas limits the amount of regulation it places on businesses and individuals. **The historical experiences of Texas have created a political culture that both emphasizes limiting government control and allowing political and economic elites to control the levers of government power.

What were the political impacts of the trend shown in the chart?

- The population shift means politics in the state are increasingly dominated by the growing and diverse urban and suburban areas of the state. - The state's economy has become less focused on traditional industries like farming, ranching, and oil.

Which conclusions can be derived from studying the chart?

- The years of highest production are associated with the lowest prices. - Increased production normally tracks with the price per barrel of oil. **Historically, as the price per barrel of oil has increased, production has also begun to increase.Oil production normally increases along with the increased price per barrel but when production hits the highest levels, the price per barrel falls significantly.

Describe the defining characteristics of Political Culture in Texas

- Traditionalistic and Individualistic - We have great pride in our state and have adopted a famous phrase "Don't mess with Texas" for those external forces wishing to change the state's way of doing things - Low tax state - Distrust for large government programs - Business plays a major role in defining the political culture of the state

Which of the following goals would be consistent with the La Raza Unida Party platform? a)increase the number of Latino officials in public office b)expand voting access for Latino citizens c)increase the number of skilled-worker visas for Mexican immigrants d)help get more Democrats elected in urban areas

- increase the number of Latino officials in public office - expand voting access for Latino citizens ***La Raza Unida was formed to help overcome the discriminatory practices that prevented Latinos from engaging in politics.

Provincialism in Texas has been eroded by which of the following factors?

- increasing urbanization - the growing influence of minorities, women, and LGBT groups - the importance of Texas in the global economy

What conclusion can be made about Texas using the information in the chart?

-Texas's per-capita income consistently lags behind U.S. per-capita income. **Since 1990, Texas has always had slightly lower per-capita personal income than the U.S. per-capita rate. - Texas's per-capita income has never been higher. **In 2017, per-capita income in Texas reached $46,942, a new nominal high.Texas per-capital personal income is right in the center: 25th out of the 50 states.

Since ___1___, the ___2___ Party has enjoyed nearly unchallenged control of government in Texas. a) 1952 b) Libertarian c) Democratic d) 1876 e) 1984 f) Republican g) 2002

1. 2002 2. Republican ***Texas was a Democratic, one-party state for over 100 years but has been dominated by the Republican party since 2002.

___1____ is the process by which people move from ___2___ areas to the cities and suburbs. industrial Urbanization poor industrialization rural

1. Urbanization 2. Rural

Though African Americans were emancipated in 1865, they were disenfranchised by the ___1___ and forced to pay ___2___ taxes in order to vote. It was only after the Voting Rights Act of ___3___ that the political system opened up for African Americans.

1. white primary 2. poll 3. 1965 African Americans momentarily won political influence immediately after the Civil War, but this progress was undone after Reconstruction was halted.

Provincialism refers to

A narrow, limited, self interested view of the world often associated with rural values and notions of limited government

Which of the following statements is accurate about the cotton economy in Texas are accurate? a) Most cotton is raised by independent farmers in cooperative groups b) It established an underclass in Texas society c) It remains a driving force of the Texas economy today d) It helped bolster the populist movement

B & D The "crop lien" system trapped many tenant farmers and sharecroppers in poverty. The discontent among sharecroppers and tenants helped fuel both the Grange and Populist movements.

Which of Texas physical regions is found in the western most part of Texas?

Basin and Range Province

Explain how Texas's geography has influenced its political culture

Because of Texas's immense size, the topography is diverse, with east Texas's flatlands, west Texas's arid climate and central Texas's Hill all representing diverse ecosystems and land patterns

Which region in Texas has historically had the most influence over politics in the state?

Because the Gulf Coastal Plains is home to the majority of the state's population and to a diverse economy, most of the political resources and elected officials come from this region.As the cities of Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, along with their surrounding areas, continue to grow, so too will the amount of financial and political resources and the number of elected legislative officials that come from this region of the state.

The dominance of business interests in Texas politics is best supported by which of the following statements?

Business groups are major players in the funding of political campaigns and the hiring of lobbyists. Consumer interests in Texas are poorly organized. Labor unions are rare in Texas.

Unlike earlier eras, the Texas economy of the twenty-first century features

Computers, Electronics, & other high tech products

Provincialism in Texas has historically contributed which of the following feature(s) to the state's political culture?

Correct Answer(s) - a narrow worldview and an intolerance of diversity - a rejection of modern urban lifestyles - a belief that the public interest is not served by spending on social services and education

What created stable communities tied to the industry?

Cotton, Cattle & High-Tech

Which of the following industries helped contribute to Houston's growth over time?

Cotton, Oil, and Trade

Creative Destrction

Creates new economies and destroys old ones

Which of the following statements accurately describes the trend in the number of Latino officeholders in Texas from 1980 through 2010? a) The number of Latinos in public office has increased slightly since the 1980s. b) Fewer Latinos are in public office today than in the 1980s. c) The number of Latinos in public office is about the same as in the 1980s. d) The number of Latinos in public office has increased dramatically since the 1980s.

D: The number of Latinos in public office has increased dramatically since the 1980s.

Which statement(s) best characterize the relationship between Dallas and Fort Worth?

Dallas and Fort Worth are joined by a variety of surrounding suburban cities. **The towns of Arlington, Grand Prairie, and Irving bridge the gap between the two cities.Though distinct in culture and history, Dallas and Fort Worth are economically locked together by suburban cities and transportation systems.

What dramatically shifted the state revenue base?

High-Tech & Oil

Which city is home to many oil refineries and is also the country's leader in manufacturing petroleum equipment?

Houston

Which city served as a hub for transporting cotton from East Texas to the rest of the country?

Houston

Four major metropolitan areas in Texas are?

Houston Dallas - Fort Worth San Antonio Austin

Describe Texas's shift from a rural society to an urban one

Initially a rural state, Texas has urbanized with Houston, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin representing the largest metropolitan areas in the state. This process of urbanization has changed the state's economy from agricultural powerhouse to high-Tech and innovative economy.

Which of Texas' physical regions is characterized by the presence of many of the state's largest ranches?

Interior Low Lands

Which of the following accounts for most of Texas's population growth today?

Natural increases as a result of the difference between births and deaths

What expanded government regulation of the economy?

Oil

Which of the industry controlled the politics and economy of Texas for most of the 20th century?

Oil

Which of the following voting restrictions targeted low-income voters—who are more likely to be minorities—to prevent them from voting? a) literacy Tests b) white primaries c) Poll tax d) grandfather clause

Poll Tax ***The Twenty-Fourth Amendment made it illegal to charge any form of tax to be able to vote.Requiring any form of tax, including a poll tax, to be able to vote became unconstitutional in 1964 with ratification of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment.

The process of turning over public lands to private individuals for cultivation and development is called which of the following?

Privatization

In terms of area, How does Texas rank among the 50 states?

Second

Who among the following first established cities in Texas?

Spanish Settlers **The organization of presidios, missions, and pueblos reflected the Spanish mission of settlement.The Spanish influence on urban life emerged from its efforts to control the territory north of Mexico.

Empresario

Spanish word for an individual who promotes, organizes, or helps to finance a particular endeavor

The authority to regulate production and transport of oil and natural gas in Texas belongs to which agency?

Texas Railroad Commission **The Railroad Commission has authority over the production and transport of oil and natural gas in Texas, but no longer regulates the railroads. The Texas Railroad Commission also won authority to prorate oil and determine how much oil each well might produce.

Explain how the population of Texas has changed over time

Texas demography has changed in the last century. Once dominated by whites, and now has a large Latino population, that when combined with the African American population and other minorities, makes Texas a majority-minority state. Despite considerable overall wealth in Texas, Texans tend to be younger and poorer than the average American.

Trace the evolution of Texas's economy

The Texas economy has undergone a series of technological transformations over the past 100 years. Once the Texas economy was grounded in cotton and ranching. Oil production came to play an important role in the twentieth century. Today, high technology and international trade play important roles in the state's economy. Texas appears to have weathered the Great Recession better than most other states.

True or False Fracking and horizontal drilling have reinvigorated the Texas oil industry

True

+Which countries signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?

United States, Mexico, & Canada

Poll Tax

a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for voting; poll taxes were rendered unconstitutional in national elections by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment, and in state elections by the Supreme Court in 1966

What is meant by the "Great Recession"?

a time of chronic economic problems beginning in late 2007 that drew analogies to the Great Depression of the 1930s

NAFTA refers to

an international trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico

Political Culture

broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function and politics should operate. American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy

Refer to the following image, and identify the projected population trend for each racial group. 1. Decreasing Population Share 2. Increasing Population Share 3. Constant Population Share

decreasing population share -whites increasing population share -Latinos constant population share -African Americans

Urbanization refers to a process in which

people move from rural to urban areas

Which physical regions of Texas are most likely to remain unified Republican?

the Great Plains the Interior Lowlands

privatization of public property

the act(s) by which Texas gave public land owned by the state over to private individuals for cultivation and development

Traditionalistic - Individualistic Political Culture

the belief that government should be dominated by political elites and guided by tradition, influenced by the culture of the south, combined with the belief that government should limit its role in providing order in society so that citizens can pursue their economic self interest, influenced by the culture of the mid - Atlantic states

Which of the following is the primary driver of Texas's population growth?

the natural difference between births and deaths **In 2017, natural increases in population accounted for a little over half of overall population growth. Three factors account for population growth in Texas, and while natural increases are still the largest factor, domestic immigration is an increasingly influential factor.