TX GOVT 2306, Chap. 2, Homework, Prof. Clark, DMC

Identify which Constitutional provisions were part of the Texas Constitution of 1845, the Texas Constitution of 1861, neither, or both.

Constitution of 1845: provided for possible emancipation of slaves Neither: resuming the African slave trade Constitution of 1861: declared allegiance to the Confederacy Both: specified a bicameral state legislature

Which statement(s) regarding the number of amendments to the Texas Constitution over time is/are correct?

Correct: Attempts to amend the constitution since 2000 have largely been successful.(Only 5/106 have not passed) Incorrect: Texans are unlikely to attempt to revise the state constitution. (491 TX vs. 27 US) Most proposals to amend the constitution fail by popular vote. (73% approved) Most attempts to amend the constitution occurred soon after its ratification. (Post WWII)

What effect did the Texas Constitution's creation of decentralized boards and districts outside the governor's authority have on the state?

Correct: It created a system responsive to special interests.(By increasing the number of access points for special interests, and by removing them from the governor's authority, it enhanced the opportunity of special interests to influence government policy.) Incorrect: It enhanced the power of the Democratic Party to maintain supremacy. It made the people's voice in government stronger. It made it easy to revise regulations on government power.

How does the plural executive, as specified in Article 4 of the Texas Constitution, influence Texas government?

Correct: It ensures that each member of the plural executive has an independent base of power. It protects against concentration of power. Incorrect: It makes the governor more powerful. It insures that policies are implemented more efficiently.

Why did Texas declare independence from Mexico in 1836?

Correct: Mexico restricted Texans' civil liberties.(freedom of religion and trial by jury) The influx of American immigrants undermined Mexican control.(Unlike the emprasarios who saw themselves as Mexican citizens, many Texas residents were part of America's move westward.) Incorrect: Mexico was weakened by a war with France.(The Texans' rebellion was precipitated by Mexican policy.) The influx of American immigrants undermined Mexican control.(Texans' concerns were about their own rights and republican principles.)

Which regions of the country are least likely to have new constitutional amendments passed?

Correct: Northeast Midwest Incorrect: South West Coast

What are some of the relationships between long constitutions and numerous constitutional amendments?

Correct: States with fewer amendments likely have a less restrictive constitution. Longer constitutions imply that the framers specifically spelled out lawmakers' powers, so that future lawmakers could not use ambiguity in the text to expand state power. Incorrect: Texas has the longest constitution among all fifty states, and has had the most amendments. Longer constitutions do away with the need for frequent amendments since most issues are already covered in the constitution itself.

Which amendments in the U.S. Constitution specify the relationship between the federal government and state governments?

Correct: Tenth - "reserve clause," this amendment specifies that all powers not delegated to the U.S. government are reserved to the states. Fourteenth - national government forbids states from violating the equal treatment of citizens. Incorrect: First - free speech/press, no specific religion, peaceable assembly Seventh - right to a jury in a civil trial. Seventeenth - changed the method of selection for U.S. senators from state to popular election.

Why is voter participation in Texas constitutional amendment elections so low?

Correct: There are no candidates on the ballot. Many amendments are insignificant to voters. Incorrect: Few voters can pass the poll test. Voters must separately register to vote in constitutional amendment elections.

The Texas Declaration of Independence leaned heavily on the ideas of which of the following people?

Correct: Thomas Jefferson John Locke Incorrect: George Washington Thomas Hobbes John Jay

Watch the animation on election turnout in Texas and determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct: Turnout for constitutional amendment elections is consistently low. Turnout for presidential elections is far higher than turnout for constitutional amendment elections. Incorrect: Presidential and constitutional amendment elections are held at the same time. Well advertised constitutional amendments can boost turnout to well over 30%.

How do the U.S. and Texas constitutions seek to prevent tyranny?

Correct: checks and balances separation of powers utilize self-interest of branches Incorrect: enhance the power of the press

Which freedoms can be found in the Texas Constitution but not in the U.S. Constitution?

Correct: efficient public schools victims' rights Incorrect: limited government (TX) freedom of religion (US)

Which constitutional provisions were included in the Constitution of 1866 to bring it into compliance with Presidential Reconstruction?

Correct: granting freedmen rights of property repudiating the state's war debt Incorrect: allowing former slaves to hold office extending suffrage to former slaves

Which elements were present in the Constitution of 1876?

Correct: promotion of agrarian interests limited state government powers Incorrect: expanded powers for the governor increased salaries for state officials

The 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Obergefell v. Hodges, ruled that marriage was a fundamental right guaranteed to same-sex couples. By contrast, Proposition 2 of the Texas Constitution was passed in 2005, banning same-sex marriage in the state. Texas is now attempting to reconcile these differences by which of the following means?

Correct: refusing to recognize the Supreme Court's decision including language allowing public officials to refuse based on religious grounds Incorrect: incorporating the Obergefell decision into the Texas Constitution the Texas attorney general filing a legal challenge to the Supreme Court's decision

For the Texas government to establish a personal income tax, what conditions would need to be met?

Correct: revenue must be dedicated to education and tax relief approval by registered voters passage of bill by legislature, and approval by governor Incorrect: revenue must be dedicated to environmental protection ratification by the state supreme court

By establishing an elected chief executive, rather than one appointed by the legislature, the 1836 Constitution upheld the idea of which of the following?

Correct: separation of powers checks and balances Incorrect: bicameralism popular sovereignty

State constitutions undertake which of the following?

Correct: specify the limits of the state government divide authority within the political institutions of the state clarify the source of a state's political power Incorrect: define the limits of the federal government establish the Republican and Democratic parties as the major parties in the state

From which of the following does the city of Dallas derive its authority?

Correct: the Texas Constitution the citizens of Texas Incorrect: American citizens the U.S. Constitution the Dallas county commission the citizens of Dallas

What concerns did the United States have about annexing Texas?

Correct: upsetting the balance of slave and nonslave states provoking war with Mexico Incorrect: triggering a trade war with Great Britain assuming Texas's debts

Which of the following aspects of the Texas Constitution are similar to provisions in the U.S. Constitution?

Correct: vests the people with the foundational power of a government establishes the distribution of power protects the rights of individual citizens Incorrect: provides guidelines for relationships with foreign powers establishes the authority to coin money

Which aspects of the Mexican Constitution differ from those of the U.S. Constitution?

Correct: a protection of religious freedom (Mex nat'l. religion: Catholicism) the selection of the president (legislature v. electoral college) Incorrect: a national bicameral legislature an emphasis on federalism the separation of powers

In the transition from Spanish law to _____________________, the Texas government shifted state ownership of _________________ to private ownership.

English common law, mineral rights

True or False: Following the example of the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution offered few specifics on the judicial branch.

False

How do the Texas and U.S. constitutions approach the issue of impeachment?

It is easier to impeach an individual in Texas than in the national government.(Because the legislature can decide what constitutes an impeachable offense, it is far easier to remove an official from office in Texas.)

Which of the following best characterizes the "Radical Republicans" of the post-Civil War era?

They pushed the adoption of African American suffrage and extended the military occupation of the South.

Identify which of the following characteristics are unique to the Texas Bill of Rights, and which apply to both the U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights?

Unique to the Texas Bill of Rights: Bill of Rights appears as Article I of the Constitution specifies the right to a republican government specifies provisions of public policy Applies to both the U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights: liberty of speech and press guarantees freedom of religious worship

Which of the following is the correct definition of the term unicameral?

a legislature that has only one body

The Texas Constitution creates a system of judicial _________________, with judges that are _____________ by the people.

independence, elected by the people

Relative to the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution is _____________ and adopts a tone of ____________ governance.

longer, limited

The ______________ clause provides Congress with the power to accomplish its constitutional tasks, while the __________________ clause specifies that national law trumps state law when the two conflict.

necessary and proper, supremacy

In recent years, most proposed constitutional amendments have been approved. The amendments that fail typically have to do with which of the following?

taxation