Chapter 1: The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas
Which physical regions of Texas are most likely to remain consistently controlled by Republicans?
Interior lowlands and the great plains
Page(s) 10-121.7. Citizen's Guide In the early twentieth century, less than 50 years after the end of the Civil War, influential groups in the state sought to rewrite history by promoting the _______ narrative, which suggested that the South's primary cause was not to protect___________ but to protect states' rights from an overreaching federal government.
Blank 1 -Lost Cause Blank 2 - Enslavment
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and the world's largest inland desalination plant at Fort Bliss in El Paso are great examples of which of the following?
Cities gain significant financial and technological advancements from government programs
The Great Plains
Conservative values dominate in this rural area, with little evidence of a movement toward the Democratic Party
Which of the following statements about political culture accurately describe Texas?
True: -The political culture of Texas is being influenced by changing demographics -Values in urban areas are strongly influenced by the diverse populations living there
Typically younger population means
A lower income area
Page(s) 23-251.4. Explain how the population of Texas has changed over time What are the reasons that Latino populations make up higher concentrations in urban areas and the Rio Grande Valley?
-Availability of Jobs -Relative geography to international border
Page(s) 32-341.4. Explain how the population of Texas has changed over time Which factors help explain why the Austin metro area has a higher average income than other major metro areas in Texas?
-It contains the state capitol -It has a high tech thriving industry -Highly educated workforce
Page(s) 12-131.3. Trace the evolution of Texas's economy Which of the following statements about the cotton economy in Texas are accurate?
-It established a working underclass in Texas society -
Page(s) 23-251.4. Explain how the population of Texas has changed over time Which of the following statements about the Latino population in Texas are true?
-Latinos are a diverse population -Latino majorities are concentrated in South and West TX -Latinos have become the majority in major Texas cities
Page(s) 29-301.4. Explain how the population of Texas has changed over time Which of the following industries helped contribute to Houston's growth over time?
-Oil -Cotton -Trade
Page 181.3. Trace the evolution of Texas's economy In what ways did Texas benefit from the United States' membership in the landmark NAFTA trade deal?
-Texas goods have had more access to foreign markets -Trade has increased at the TX border -NAFTA helped speed up a diversified economy
Page(s) 8-91.2. Explain how Texas's geography has influenced its political culture Which of the following economic activities are located primarily in the Gulf Coastal Plains region?
-Timber -Industrial Manufacturing -Fruit and Veg farming
Page 61.1. Describe the defining characteristics of political culture in Texas Texas Democrats believe the path to being more competitive in statewide politics in Texas is largely tied to which of the following trends?
An expanding young latino population
Which of the following best supports the assertion that these monuments were aimed at celebrating the authority of White Texans after the Civil War ended?
Approximately half of the monuments were erected between 1900 and 1940
The -Press Space to openGreat PlainsInterior LowlandsGulf Coastal PlainsBasin and Range Province has the highest proportion of Latino Texans and contains some of the few rural areas of Texas that are more supportive of the Democratic party
Basin and Range Province
Which of the issues below have been identified as priorities that the influential cultural and social conservatives in the Republican Party would like to see enacted?
Correct: Traditional Marriage, Limits to abortion, immigration restrictions Incorrect: Climate Change mitigation & promotion of gender equality
Texas is most often characterized by which two political cultures?
Correct: Traditionalistic & Individualistic Incorrect: Moralistic
Good to Know
Florida and New York are fairly similar in terms of racial diversity, but Ohio is much more White and much less Latino than either state.
Pg: 5-6 For most of texas history, the - held control of state government. today, rural white conservatives constitute the overwhelming majority of support for the - in texas.
For most of texas history, the Democratic Party held control of state government. today, rural white conservatives constitute the overwhelming majority of support for the Republican party in texas.
As a hub for railroads, and with one of the busiest international ports in the United States, Houston has seen commerce help boost its growth.
GTK
The cattle industry is still largely centered in the north Texas area around Fort Worth.Some argue that while Houston has developed a world-class medical center and deep-water port, its economic fortunes are still overly tied to the petroleum industry, whereas other major cities have better diversified.
GTK
While Texas is still the nation's largest producer of cotton, cotton's importance in Texas has declined since the 1920s.
GTK
Page(s) 5-61.1. Describe the defining characteristics of political culture in Texas Complete the following statement. Since 2002, the Republican Party has enjoyed nearly unchallenged control of government in Texas.
Good To Know
Almost half of all Confederate monuments were erected between 1900 and 1940. This period of time coincided with the heights of Jim Crow, enforcement of separate but equal doctrine, and the Ku Klux Klan's influence.The decades surrounding the peak influence of the KKK in the 1920s saw the highest numbers of new memorials, monuments, and social activities that promoted a White political power structure that took hold following the Civil War.
Good to Know
Although Texas was already diversifying, NAFTA dramatically accelerated the process.While questions loom about how Texas will fare under USMCA, it is clear that trade deals with the other North American nations have been very beneficial to the state's economy.
Good to Know
As the full effects of the pandemic became clear, millions of Americans were completing their education and jobs from home and ending many plans for travel, dramatically dropping the volume of fuels needed.The COVID-19 pandemic created a huge glut in the national and international oil supplies as needs for businesses and transportation came to a screeching halt, causing a steep decline in the prices.
Good to Know
Austin is home to the University of Texas, the flagship school of the state, which produces large numbers of highly skilled workers each year.
Good to Know
Austin's economy has experienced profound growth in the twenty-first century as its highly educated workforce provides the intellectual and physical capabilities needed to drive the high-tech industry.The various urban centers of the state have significant and diverse economic drivers that contribute to the overall economic well-being of the state.
Good to Know
Austin's transportation infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the rapid growth the area has experienced in the last 30 years.Austin has the highest average income of any metro area in Texas because of the presence of the capital and the growing numbers of high-tech jobs, which require a highly skilled workforce that is readily supplied by the University of Texas.
Good to Know
Despite its merits, NAFTA has been associated with job loss, as labor in Mexico is typically cheaper than labor in Texas.
Good to Know
From the east Texas Piney Woods to the Post Oak Belt, this region has been one of the largest resources for timber in the United States.
Good to Know
In 2019, Texas exports totaled $330.5 billion, which included $108.6 billion to Mexico.
Good to Know
Institutions and local governments have relocated many monuments to museums, and at some sites new memorials have been added to provide historically accurate context.As Texans and Americans make efforts to reconcile their history in an accurate way, political leaders and institutions continue to be divided on which policies present the best solutions.
Good to Know
Laredo and other border cities that serve as ports of entry have experienced important economic growth related to jobs and income from bridge tolls
Good to Know
Latinos make up about 40 percent of the population today and are expected to make up about 43 percent by 2050.The Texas population has changed dramatically as it has rapidly grown and diversified. Latinos are fueling the population growth, with estimates that they will have about 43 percent of the population share by 2050.
Good to Know
People move to areas with people who are like them in many different ways, but partisan identity is not a factor in the high concentration of Latinos in these particular areas.Latinos have composed significant portions of these areas since before Texas was a state, mostly because of the availability of jobs, resources, and the proximity to Mexico and other Latin American nations.
Good to Know
Texas received $10 million in federal bonds in exchange for the public land, which it used to pay off its debts
Good to Know
The "crop lien" system trapped many tenant farmers and sharecroppers in poverty.
Good to Know
The Basin and Range Province, containing the Big Bend country, is largely populated by Latino residents and heavily influenced by centuries of Spanish and Mexican culture.Texas's geographic location between the United States and Mexico has given the state a diverse population of individuals and rich cultural experiences.
Good to Know
The Gulf Coastal Plains region from Houston to Beaumont became the heart of industrialization after the end of World War II.
Good to Know
The Texas "Declaration of Causes," which lists the reasons for secession, includes numerous references to efforts of the northern states to abolish slavery as the primary causes for secession.Most monuments commemorating the "Lost Cause" and memorializing the leaders of the Confederacy were erected during the first half of the twentieth century in efforts to recast the motives of southern states as a desire to protect themselves from a radical federal government
Good to Know
The agricultural and ranching industries are conservative and will likely support the Republican Party for some time.
Good to Know
The movement of people into urban areas has meant that issues of importance to major cities and wealthy suburbs get the most attention from the state government.
Good to Know
The plantation system that existed prior to the Civil War brought many enslaved African Americans to the region; after the end of slavery, Black Texans migrated and created vibrant communities in major cities.
Good to Know
The population shift away from rural areas has caused the state's economy to diversify; international trade, the high-tech sector, and service industries are increasingly important.
Good to Know
The population shift away from rural areas of the state means that areas of the state that once elected important state and national leaders have been reduced in their ability to influence state politics.
Good to Know
The rich lands of the Lower Rio Grande Valley yield vast quantities of citrus fruits and winter vegetables each year.
Good to Know
There is no evidence that urban voters or their elected officials are giving more attention to the issues that are unique to the rural areas of the state.The trend of urbanization that began in the first half of the twentieth century and sped up following the construction of the Interstate Highway System shifted the balance of political power in the state away from the rural areas and toward urban and suburban areas.
Good to Know
While many parts of the Gulf Coastal Plains remain conservative, the urbanization of Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth have increased the region's support for the Democratic Party.Although conservative values rule statewide in Texas, urban voters in the Gulf Coastal Plains and Latino voters in the Basin and Range Province are less supportive of the Republican Party.
Good to Know
While some of the largest ranches in the state can be found in the Gulf Coastal Plains, ranching is not primarily located in this region.The Gulf Coastal Plains region, with its rich soil, significant rainfall, and access to international waters, has historically been the economic and political driver of Texas.
Good to Know
White Texans make up about 41 percent of the population today but may only make up about 29 percent by 2050
Good to Know
With a significantly younger population, the state has a smaller number of people who have completed higher education programs, limiting access to higher income jobs.There are many factors that play into the overall lagging income and education levels of Texans when compared to the United States, but one of the main factors is that the state is younger on average than the rest of the nation, with nearly a third of the state being under 18 years old in 2020.
Good to Know
he Gulf Costal Plains do not have the highest proportion of Latino Texans.
Good to Know
Home to the world-famous Stockyards and the historic endpoint of many cattle drives, the city of Fort Worth is the most economically tied to the cattle industry.
Good to know
Latinos now constitute a majority of the population in El Paso and San Antonio and sizable portions of the population in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth.The Latino population in Texas has growing influence in the state's politics, particularly in urban areas and the border region.
Good to know
Population growth from interstate and international immigration is causing gradual shifts in the political values of the state.
Good to know
Privatization was probably the most consequential public policy pursued by the state in the nineteenth century. While the state raised funds by the sale and lease of public lands, it largely retained the mineral rights to resources below those lands.
Good to know
Texas is geographically large and increasingly diverse demographically, making simple classifications difficult.The political culture in Texas has deep historic and culturally influenced roots but is experiencing significant changes as the state becomes more urban, diversified, and interconnected.
Good to know
The number of Latino elected officials has continued to grow with the Latino population in the state, as has the Latino population's political influence.
Good to know
Urban areas often have large populations of Black, Latino, Asian, and liberal White voters that share similar political priorities.
Good to know
10, 25-271.2. Explain how Texas's geography has influenced its political culture The overwhelming majority of Black Texans live in which geographic region of Texas?
Gulf Coastal Plains
What is sometimes known as the Energy Capitol of the Wolrd
Houston
Pg 29-34 Match each industry with the urban area it is most associated with -Cattle -High Tech -Energy -Military Installations (Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth)
Military Installations - San Antonio Energy - Houston Fort Worth - Cattle High Tech - Austin
Good to Know
Not only do urban areas have a greater diversity of demographic groups but they also offer a greater number of jobs with better pay.
The persistent poverty created by the sharecropper and tenant farmer systems had what political impact on Texas?
Poor farmers supported Populist movements that led to stronger popular control of government
Page(s) 7-101.2. Explain how Texas's geography has influenced its political culture The process of turning over public lands to private entities through sale or lease agreements for cultivation and development is called what?
Privitization
Good to know
Pro-business Republicans have long been the core of the Republican Party, but hard-line social conservatives have been substituting uncompromising positions on issues relating to gun ownership, abortion, immigration, and LGBTQ rights.
Page(s) 10-121.7. Citizen's Guide Which of the following has been used to deal with the controversy surrounding memorials and monuments to the Confederacy and its leaders placed on public grounds?
Providing more historically accurate and inclusive context by moving them or adding new monuments.
Which term describes a narrow view of the world that is associated with rural values and is often intolerant of diversity?
Provincilism
Good to Know
Public education in Texas is made up of over 1,000 school districts that show consistent increases in the graduation rates in modern history
Page 101.2. Explain how Texas's geography has influenced its political culture Texas surrendered claims to land in present-day New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma in the Compromise of 1850 in order to do which of the following?
Raise Money to Pay off its debts
Page(s) 6-71.1. Describe the defining characteristics of political culture in Texas In recent years, business groups, a key part of the Republican base in Texas, have been challenged by which group that makes up another important part of the Republican coalition?
Social Conservatives
Good to Know
The Democratic Party has done well in this overwhelmingly Latino area of Texas.
Good to Know
The Gulf Coastal Plains was the part of Texas most heavily settled by White southerners, and, with them, the enslaved people they brought to Texas.White southerners, who saw an opportunity to expand their fortunes with the availability of rich soil and cheap land in the Gulf Coastal Plains, brought with them the harsh institution of slavery
Good to Know
The Interior Lowlands begin immediately west of Fort Worth and extend to the Caprock escarpment.Each of the four physical regions in Texas is distinct from the other, making it difficult to accurately generalize about Texas politics.
Good to Know
The Rio Grande Valley area of Texas is adjacent to the country of Mexico, which shares centuries of history with the region.
Page 291.4. Explain how the population of Texas has changed over time Texas is poorer and less educated overall than the national averages for income and education. Which factor, of several that may exist, is the most important cause of why the state lags behind?
The Texas population is younger on average than the rest of the US
Good to Know
The presence of the state capital in Austin means many important companies, lobbying firms, and professional staff make up a large part of the economy.
Good to Know
The stretch of Interstate 35 from Austin to San Marcos has become a bastion of high-tech start-ups and internationally recognized high-tech firms that continue to grow their footprint in the area, creating high-paid jobs.
Good to Know
While Texas and California have similar percentages of Latino residents, California has fewer White residents, fewer Black residents, and more Asian residents than Texas.
Houston is home to many oil refineries and is the number one energy-producing city in the country.
gtk
Provincialism once defined Texas political culture; however, its influence is in decline as the population grows and diversifies.
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