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).
Many of the issues go back to the civil war era, and during this time E.J. Davis was the governor of Texas. During his time as governor Davis used his power to and appointed over 8,000 public officials (Brown et al. 2014, p. 145). Many Anglo Texans have complained that during the time of Davis’s run as Governor he clearly abused the power that was given to him (Brown et al. 2014, p. 300). This was a big reason as to why the people of Texas wanted to limit the power that the governor can have.
A governor is the state’s top executive officeholder and serves a four-year term in the state of Texas, but there is no limit on how many terms a governor wants to serve. The duties of the governor vary throughout the legislative, budgetary, appointive, judicial, and military powers. However, the governor is limited in its powers because of the plural executive structure. First and foremost, the governor’s legislative powers consist of calling special sessions, vetoing bills or passing them, and has a line-item veto power over the state budget. According to Gibson et al., “Texas has one of the strongest veto powers of any other governor” (194).
Texas has had a vast majority of Governors throughout the centuries. The governors have reshaped and created Texas rules, helpful programs, and made some bad decisions. One out of the many governors of the eighteenth century gave quite a shock to have won the election of becoming Governor of Texas. This man is Edmund J. Davis, I will be discussing his early life and some of his occupations throughout his life; I will also discuss his term as governor, and what he did while Governor of Texas. It was October 2, 1827 in St. Augustine, Florida for any other person, it was another day, but to William Godwin and Mary Ann Davis it was a great day, their son Edmund J. Davis was born.
Gordon Murphy Mrs. Nash English Honors 4 May 15, 2015 Stephen F. Austin Stephen F. Austin may be the most important person in Texas history. His contributions to his family and later his town and state were invaluable. Stephen F. Austin's father's influence on him helped shape his life in such a way that his accomplishments lead to the founding of great state Texas. Stephen F. Austin was born in November 3, 1793 in Austinville, Virginia.
Texas Annexed to the United States On February 19, 1846, Texas was annexed to the United States of America. After many years of never-ending negotiations, Texas was finally admitted into the Union. Despite gaining independence, Texas would continue to face several problems. Texas, at this time, did not have enough forces to defend itself, which meant that they could be vulnerable to an attack from Mexico.
With the help of President-elect Polk and house of Congress; on March 1, 1845, Texas was admitted into the United States. Texas Annexation began the feud between Mexico and United States over Texas border. Texas State included Colorado and New Mexico. The conflict arose over
He, yet again, faced invasions from the Mexican government wanting Texas back; however, the Mexicans were unsuccessful. Houston once again worked for the annexation of Texas, but his term ended before it happened; however, he was elected to serve the U.S. Senate (shalhp
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
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.
The political culture of Texas can be described as being both Individualistic as well as Traditionalistic. In other words, Texas believes in the basic feature of individualistic values such as a strong belief in self-reliance, resistance to regulation, and a suspicion of public institutions. However,
This sparked a debate in the U.S. concerning the admission of another slave state in the American Union. In 1845 President James Polk encouraged a congressional resolution which barely passed in 1845, making Texas the 28th state (The Texas Question). Outraged by this event, Mexico attacked U.S. troops in the disputed territory of Rio Grande starting the Mexican American War. After the war and an American victory, Sam Houston continued to serve Texas as a Senator in the U.S. Senate and as Governor. The addition of the 28th state was part of the ideology of Manifest Destiny; Sam Houston’s resistance to Mexico and acceptance of the United States was a highlight of the movement.
In my essay I will provide three reasons why I do not believe Texas is operating within a democracy-a political system where the many rule. According to Author Robert Dahl, a democracy should provide opportunities for effective participation, equality in voting and inclusion of adults. There are socioeconomic factors- such ethnicity, education and income which are mentioned by author of our textbook, that impact voter participation. To begin, let’s look at the role a person ethnicity plays in a democracy. Next, examine the level of education and how it correlates to voting.
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.
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.
