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Research Paper On Texas Constitution Of 1876

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The Constitution of 1876 remains the foundation of Texas's current system of government, having been drafted in the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction era. The framers of this constitution sought to enshrine principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and local control as a reaction against the perceived excesses of Reconstruction. By examining the historical context and core tenets underlying the 1876 Constitution, one can better understand its enduring impact on Texas's modern governance. The 1876 Texas Constitution was drafted in the context of the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. During this time, the federal government exerted significant control over Texas, implementing the previous constitutions of …show more content…

The framers of the 1876 Texas Constitution sought to limit the power of the government and decentralize authority in response to the perceived excesses of Reconstruction. They established a plural executive branch and included numerous restrictions on the powers of the legislature to prevent any single branch or entity from wielding too much power. Champagne et al. explain, "The Constitution of 1876 established a powerful governor and a plural executive branch, with several independently elected officials, in order to limit the power of the legislature" (57). The framers also prioritized fiscal responsibility by imposing strict limits on state spending and debt, mandating a "pay-as-you-go" approach. Additionally, the 1876 Constitution emphasized the importance of local control, empowering counties and municipalities with greater autonomy in governance. This decentralized structure aimed to bring decision-making closer to the people and limit the influence of the state government. The 1876 Texas Constitution incorporated several key aspects that reflected the framers' philosophy of limited government and decentralized

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Valerie Jimenez Professor Gilligan Government – 2306 25 September 2017 Texas and U.S Constitution There is no doubt that the Texas and United States Constitutions are important to keep democracy. Both constitutions contain similarities as well as some major differences. The first similarity would be the process of separation of powers. Separation of Powers was created by the “framers of the Constitution [who] feared too much centralized power” (PBS) and who knew that “the accumulation of all powers… in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny” (PBS).

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They both include the concept of federalism in their documents. The US constitution subordinate to the federal government, but the Texas Constitution have subordinate to the state government. But with all these similarities, they also have a lot of differences between them. As we talk about US Constitution, it

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The Constitution of 1876 and the Constitution of Texas are both incredibly influential to the government of Texas. Their importance lies in their ability to outline the structure of government, allocate powers between different branches, and establish the rights and responsibilities of both the government and the citizens. The Constitution of 1876, for example, involves the separation of powers, state government structure, Bill of Rights, legislative authority, and amending process. Meanwhile, the Current Constitution of Texas involves the outline of the state government structure, powers of the legislature, protection of individual rights, local government provisions, and the amendment process. Both the Constitution of 1876 and the current

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These authorities that the national government should have, were all up to the states to decide under the Articles. With the taking away some of the states rights in the Constitution, Anti-federalists feared that this would leave the states too weak, resulting in more problems. Under the new Constitution, many powers that were now in the government 's hands are: the power to levy and collect taxes, the power to regulate interstate commerce, the government set up a national court system consisting of district, circuit, and a supreme court, the government could enforce laws, there was now a house based on population, and a senate based on equal representation (two votes per state), to amend the Constitution, a ⅔ vote of Congress was needed, and a ¾ vote of the states were needed, and a majority rule was needed to pass bills. These new powers and abilities of the national government helped to create a strong, new

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Those restraints have evolved into weaknesses that compromise the integrity and authority of the state government. But, legislators could adjust the constitution to be less restrictive and more effective by strengthening the executive's power, instating a full-time legislature, and reorganizing the judiciary. The Texas Constitution distributed executive power over a multitude of elected offices. At the time the framers wrote it, this seemed like a good idea.

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A major evaluation of the Texas constitution is needed. The current layout of the Texas Constitution requires frequent changes and additions that only slow down the justice system and consequently, effecting the Texas Governor. If the Governor were to change such specifications in the Constitution, reducing the strict preciseness of it, it can expand each clause, increasing productivity in

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However, this is exactly what the Texas Constitution was designed to reverse and avoid. The framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted to enable government action;

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It outlines a plan of government and provides the structure and functioning of the institutions of governments. Constitutions are expressions of popular sovereignty between the government and the governed. It specifies the powers and limitation of power of the government, as well as the right and privileges of citizens that cannot be affected by the government. Also it specified how citizens are allowed to participate in democratic decision making processes that determines public policies. In some ways, Texas Constitution executes these functions well.

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This exact issue is why we made sure that the constitution of 1876 gave the state government limited power because we feared big government telling us what to do. Finally, there have been many attempts to pass a new constitution in Texas. All, of the proposed constitutions, have failed because the people of Texas love to live by a simple motto “if it ain't broke, don’t fix it”. However, all of these arguments are pointless if we don’t know about our state constitutional

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Considering all the amendments, Texas has succeeded in making sure that its government has restricted powers and that they, more or less, operate in a manner that suits the people of

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Texas Constitution V. Maine Constitution What is a constitution? According to Merriam Webster Dictionary a constitution is a document that describes the system of beliefs and laws by which a country, state or organization is governed. In numerous ways, the Texas and Maine constitution are similar documents.

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Briefly, in the evolution of the Texas political system, Texas’s history has been through many situations that shaped the political structure in Texas to become to what it is today. Many changes were responsible for the impact in the history of Texas such as the Texas revolution, the Alamo war with Mexico, military reconstruction act in 1867, etc. Before the war with Mexico, one of the most important impact in Texas history was the Republic of Texas Constitution in 1836. Texas and Mexico have an escalating tension and is responsible for the new change in the Texas state constitution. For the cause of the Republic of Texas Constitution in 1836, Texas begins by declaring its independence in 1836, established the Republic of Texas, and decided to adopt the new constitution.

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The Texas Revolution has played a massive role in Texas history. In fact, without it, Texas wouldn’t be Texas! But, why was there a Texas Revolution to start with? In this essay, we will be discussing why there was a Texas Revolution and who was there to start it.

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The history of political parties in Texas is marked by nearly a century of Democratic Party dominance followed by a realignment that shifted the balance of power in favor if the republicans. Political science professor Cal Jilson noted that the dominance of one party in Texas has been a result of the state’s dominant values. Both parties in Texas today reflect more conservative versions of their national counterparts. The other chapter talks about the Interest groups in Texas. Interest groups plays a critical role in all democratic systems of government.

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The framers of the Texas Executive established a system that was designed to check the powers of the government. As opposed to the US Constitution that vested the power of the executive in the president of the nation (Berry, 1385), the Texas Constitution sought to ensure that the state did not have the excess powers. As such, they came up with a plural system where a variety of individuals make up the executive branch of the state (Texas State Government at a Glance). While the governor of the state remains as the highest ranking officials in the state, they hold the least of powers in the plural system.

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