Texas has been governed by _ constitutions, _ since it entered the Union in 1845. Show The first constitution to govern Anglos in Texas was the... Repulic of Mexico's constitution of 1824. Republic of Mexico's constitution of 1824
The second constitution of Texas was... Coahuila y Tejas constitution Coahuila y Tejas constitution provided a ________ legislature. Unicameral legislature
The Coahuila y Tejas constitution lacked a... Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas
Suspension of the first 2 constitutions of Texas by President Santa Anna of Mexico was a factor that led to the... _________ was the person that suspended the first 2 constitutions of Texas, which led to the Texas Revolution. President Santa Anna of Mexico The Republic of Texas Constitution of 1836
When Texas joined the Union in 1845, the first Texas state __________ was adopted. Texas' Statehood Constitution of 1845 reflected the _________ southern culture, with a few notable exceptions that were adaptions of... traditionalistic; Spanish law In Texas's Statehood Constitution of 1845, women were granted... property rights equal to those of men, especially in marriage, where women were given half the value of all property acquired during the marriage (community property). In Texas's Statehood Constitution of 1845, a person's homestead was... protected from forced sale to pay debts. Texas's Statehood Constitution of 1845 provided for...
Most of these features were included in later constitutions Texas's Statehood Constitution of 1845 The first state constitution
Texas joined the Confederacy in The Texas 1861 Constitution When Texas joined the Confederacy The 2nd state constitution
The Texas 1866 Constitution When Texas rejoined the Union after the Civil War The 3rd state constitution
Short-lived & overturned by Reconstruction acts of the U.S. Congress The Texas 1866 constitution abolished... The Texas 1866 Constitution nullified the ordinances of _______, & renounced the right of future ________. The Texas 1866 Constitution repudiated the... wartime debts of the state. The Texas 1866 Constitution was short-lived & overturned by... Reconstruction acts of the U.S. Congress. The Reconstruction constitution (Texas's 1869 constitution AKA the "carpetbagger's constitution") The 4th state constitution Was approved under the supervision of the federal government's military rule
The Texas 1869 constitution (the 4th constitution) was also known as...
The Reconstruction constitution was approved under the supervision of the federal government's military rule. The Reconstruction constitution reflected the... centralized aspirations of the national Republicans. The Reconstruction constitution provided a
The Reconstruction constitution abolished _________. In the Reconstruction constitution, much local authority & control were removed from the planter class. The Reconstruction constitution did what to public schools? Made them centralized under state control & funded with a poll tax & the sale of public lands. The Reconstruction constitution gave African Americans the right to... In the Reconstruction constitution, whites who had participated in... the "rebellion" (Civil War) were disenfranchised (deprived of the right to vote). What is the current Texas constitution? The Texas 1876 constitution The 5th one The Texas 1975 Constitutional Convention
The Texas 1876 constitution (our current constitution) amendments made from the 1975 constitutional convention
The controversial issues in the 1975 constitutional convention:
All of the Texas state constitutions except for the Reconstruction constitution, have focused on... The Reconstruction constitution was the only Texas state constitution to focus on a... strong, centralized government (instead of limited government) The current constitution is very compatible with... the political culture of the state. Texans generally oppose... tax hikes & government spending the right of government to take private property for public use Constitutions are established on the principles of...
The idea that all power rests with the people Constitution are written by... a popularly elected convention of citizens & not by state legislatures. Citizens must approve of any changes in state constitutions except in... Delaware, where the state legislature can amend the state constitution. Like the U.S. constitution, state constitutions limit the scope of government by: (2 things)
A way to limit the power of government by explicitly listing the powers that governments may use A way to limit the power of government by explicitly listing the powers that government may not use Constitutions are a _______, or _______ between the citizens & the government & cannot be violated. All state constitutions embrace the idea of ________ provided in the U.S. Constitution. Power in the state government and U.S. government is divided among...
Strong executive authority was experienced in Texas under Governor... Edmund J. Davis & the Radical Republicans. Besides those rights provided by the federal document, the Texas Constitution grants qualities under the law to all citizens regardless of... sex, race, color, creed or national origin. Citizens often have more freedom provided in their ________ than in the national constitution. What article in the U.S. Constitution contains the supremacy clause? Makes the U.S. Constitution the supreme law of the land
Ideal characteristics that constitutions should possess:
Constitutions should not be detailed & specific but... Formal amendments to the constitution should be... infrequent, deliberate, & significant The U.S. Constitution has only been amended __ times. The Texas Constitution is ______ than most & has more _______. The Texas Constitution currently has ___ amendments. Only _ other states have more constitutional amendments than Texas. Most state constitutions are... lengthy, detailed documents that require frequent alteration. Most state constitutions create weak _______ & strong ________. All state constitutions contain articles on... taxation & finance that limit how funds can be spent. Taxes dedicated to a specific expenditure. All but a few state constitutions prohibit... deficit expenditures unless approved by voters in the form of a bond election. Most state constitutions contain large amounts of... Except in the state of Delaware, changing state constitutions consist of 2 steps:
In Texas, __ of each house of the legislature must propose state constitutional amendments. All state constitutions allow the _______ to propose changes. To propose a constitutional amendment, most states require an extraordinary majority vote in both houses. A process that allows citizens to propose changes to the state constitution or state laws through the use of petitions signed by registered voters
the collections of a prescribed number of signatures on a petition within a set time. __ states allow initiative. Most states with initiative are... western states that entered the Union in the late 19th century or early 20th century when initiative was popular. Only _ states with initiative are east of the Mississippi River. Does Texas have initiative? Constitutional Convention An assembly of citizens who may propose changes to state constitutions for voter approval. Most states, including Texas, allow the legislature to... submit to the voters the question of calling a constitutional convention. Calling a constitutional convention is normally used for __________ & not a single amendment. __ states have some provision for automatically submitting the question of a general constitutional convention to the voters periodically. Texas requires that a majority of those voting on the ________ approve. State constitutions are amended more frequently than One reason that state constitutions are amended frequently is... state constitutions deal with a wider range of functions. About __% of the state amendments deal with issues not covered in the U.S. Constitution, such as education. The rate of state constitution amendment is __ times the national rate. Longer state constitutions are more likely to be ________. __% of amendments are proposed by state legislatures. In the states that allow initiative, two patterns emerge:
The initiative process does not screen out amendments that lack... broad public support. Proposal by legislature does. When do most amendments appear on the ballot in Texas? November of odd-numbered years when no statewide offices are up for election & not national elections draw media attention. Fewer voters turn out to vote on ______. amendments, because they are not held at popular times. (no popular statewide or national elections) In Texas, as little as _% of the population has passed an amendment changing the constitution. 5% (Because of the low voter turnout during amendment voting) Description of a proposed amendment as it appears on the ballot, which can be noninstructive & misleading to voters. Who dictates the ballot wording of all amendments? most amendments in texas are pushed through by Most amendments in Texas... pass & face little opposition. Who were the 2 prominent members of the Texas legislature that introduced a bill calling for general revision of the Texas Constitution in 1999? Bill Ratliff & Robert Junell The piecemeal process of amending the constitution every _ years in Texas will likely continue. Ideally, a constitution should be Brief, explicit, broad, & flexible. Passage of a proposed constitutional amendment in Texas requires
Most state constitutions, including the Texas Constitution, differ from the U.S. Constitution in that they grant more generous liberties to citizens. The percentage of voters who participate in constitutional amendment elections in Texas is usually no higher than Who approves constitutional amendments in Texas?The Texas Constitution provides that the legislature, by a two-thirds vote of all members of each house, may propose amendments revising the constitution and that proposed amendments must then be submitted for approval to the qualified voters of the state.
How are constitutional amendments placed on the ballot in Texas quizlet?How are Constitutional Amendments placed on the ballot in Texas? The House and Senate must cast a two-thirds majority vote for proposed amendments.
What does it take to amend the Texas Constitution?1 of the Texas Constitution requires that a joint resolution be adopted by at least a two-thirds vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature (100 votes in the House, 21 votes in the Senate) to be presented to voters. The governor cannot veto a joint resolution.
How do amendments get passed in Texas?Proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are in the form of joint resolutions instead of bills and require a vote of two-thirds of the entire membership in each house for adoption. Joint resolutions are not sent to the governor for approval, but are filed directly with the secretary of state.
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