Chapter 2: The Texas Constitution

The U.S. Constitution specifies how powers are allocated within state-level institutions.

False The U.S. Constitution does not allow the national government to control how the states organize their governments.

Which of the following characteristics have been central in all of Texas's constitutions since Texas joined the United States?

Central in All of Texas's Constitutions: > federalism > division of power > individual rights > strong popular control Not Central in All of Texas's Constitutions: > flexibility > strong government

Match each characteristic or provision to the constitution it belongs to: the Texas Constitution of 1845, the Texas Constitution of 1861, or the Texas Constitution of 1869.

Constitution of 1845: > provided for possible emancipation of enslaved people > detailed the original agreement for Texas's statehood Constitution of 1869: > created a much more powerful governor > was heavily influenced by Radical Republicans Constitution of 1861: > declared allegiance to the Confederacy > made it illegal to free enslaved people

What effect did the creation of decentralized boards and other districts outside the authority of the governor have on the Texas government?

Correct Answer(s): > It created a system more susceptible to special interests. > It made it more difficult to revise and reform policies affecting government power. Incorrect Answer(s): > It made the people's voice in government stronger. > It further enhanced the one-party dominance of the state.

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

Correct Answer(s): > Tenth Amendment > Fourteenth Amendment Incorrect Answer(s): > Seventh Amendment > First Amendment

Which of the following concepts in the Texas Constitution of 1836 were adapted from Spanish-Mexican law?

Correct Answer(s): > community property > homestead protections > government retention of mineral rights Incorrect Answer(s): > criminal prosecution > protection of slavery

What important functions are performed by state constitutions?

Correct Answer(s): > specify the limits and uses of power by state institutions and individuals > divide authority within the political institutions of the state > clarify the source of a state's political power Incorrect Answer(s): > establish limits on the influence of the federal government over states > empower the Republican and Democratic parties within the state

Match the clause characteristic to the amendment in which it is found.

Fifteenth Amendment: > bans race discrimination in voting Fourteenth Amendment: > guarantees equal rights for people in all states > defines who is a citizen > forces states to follow due process to remove rights Thirteenth Amendment: > ends slavery

Texas has one of the lengthiest state constitutions. Which of the following is a reason that the state's constitution has been amended more than 500 times, even though it is nearly 100 years younger than the U.S. Constitution, which has only 27 amendments?

It places specific restrictions on the government & political process. > To limit the power and size of the state government, the framers of the Texas Constitution of 1876 inserted many specific controls and limitations on the government that had to be changed in order to allow the government to change with the times.

Which statement best explains why certain states have the longest state constitutions?

States w/ narrowly written & restrictive constitutions generally have the longest state constitutions. > Restrictive state constitutions that focus on limiting the size and power of government are often the most specific, causing them to need to be regularly amended. > The framers of the Texas Constitution sought to put specific restrictions on the government to ensure popular control and to limit the size and power of government.

Which statement accurately portrays the tax burden in Texas?

Texans still contribute about a twelfth of their income to state taxes.

Drag the following provisions of the Texas Constitution of 1876, the U.S. Constitution, or both to their proper place on the Venn diagram.

Texas Constitution of 1876: > complex, specific, & long document > free & equitable public schools > victims' rights Both: > bicameral legislature > popular sovereignty U.S. Constitution: > short document w/ flexible language > supreme law > single executive

As one of only a handful of states without a form of an income tax, what is the only way that Texas could institute an income tax statewide?

The legislature and voters would have to amend the constitution.

Before voters participate in a constitutional amendment election, what step must happen first?

The legislature votes to put the amendment on the ballot. The amendment must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of all members elected to each house before going to the voters.

What is the meaning of the term impeachment?

a charge of wrongdoing > Impeachment of an official by the Texas House of Representatives is a political act, not a legal act. An official can be impeached for a wide variety of actions that the state legislature could construe as wrongdoing, because impeachable acts are not specifically defined in the state constitution.

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

a legislature that has only one body

Which of the following is the most accurate characterization of the current Texas Constitution?

a long and complex collection of specifically written policy

Which of the following is one of the most important themes of the Constitution of 1876?

limited spending > This theme is often referred to as "economy in government" because it required the government to spend money only as necessary and to spend no more than what the government brought in. > The current constitution of Texas, the Constitution of 1876, has four major themes: popular control of state government, limited government, economy of government, and promoting the interests of small farmers.

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

longer limited The Texas Constitution was designed to uphold the principle of limited government & prevent the expansion of government authority.

Place the following events in the history of Texas in order from oldest to most recent.

oldest --> most recent: 1. Texas's independence from Mexico 2. state of Texas joins the US 3. Civil War 4. Fourteenth Amendment 5. Grange movement influences new Texas Constitution 6. Texas Equal Rights Amendment added to the state constitution

What was the largest single influence on the Texas Constitution of 1876?

the Grange > The Grange, or the Granger movement, was a group of political activist farmers who dominated the constitutional convention and wrote strict limitations on government and corporations into the Constitution of 1876. > The Constitution of 1876 was heavily influenced by the militant farmers of the Grange movement, who institutionalized limited government and restrictions on corporations, as well as reinstating the pre-Civil War social order that had empowered the rural and conservative White establishment .