What is political culture?
Broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function and politics should operate; American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy
What are the different types of political culture?
Moralistic, individualistic, traditionalistic
What is the political culture of Texas?
Traditionalistic & individualistic
Who regulates the oil and natural gas industry in Texas?
Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC)
What has led to the increase in population in Texas?
Natural increase as a result of the difference between births and deaths; international immigration (particularly from Mexico); and domestic immigration from other states.
Know the demographic composition of Texas
70.4% White American; 11.8% African American; 3.8%, Asian American; 0.7%, American Indian; 0.1%, native Hawaiian or Pacific islander only; 10.5% of the population were of some other race only; and 2.7% were of two or more races.
How did Stephen F. Austin help to develop Texas?
Him and his father Moses Austin were authorized by the Spanish and later the Mexican leaders to bring people to Texas who sought inexpensive land
What has Governor Perry stated about the growth of the federal government?
That centralized government has become too strong and that the power needs to be returned to the states in order to have accountability to the people and to preserve liberty because the very essence of america stems from a limited, decentralized governmen
Where do governments derive their power?
Directly from the American people (sovereignty)
What does the tenth amendment allow the federal government to do?
Regulate railroads, gave them power to create Texas railroad commission, power not designated was reserved to power of the state and people
What is federalism?
System of gov in which power is divided, by a constitution, between a central govt and regional government
Know the different types of federalism
- Layer-cake federalism- the governments have separate state and national gov, states had more power still but had to abide by the nation's constitution, no interaction between the state and nation
- Cooperative federalism- marble cake, where the nation a
What are unfunded mandates?
Federal requirements that the state (or local) governments pay the costs of federal policies
Why was Texas so powerful during the Wilson Administration?
When Woodrow was elected in 1912, Texas rapidly gained national political influence. Wilson hired Edward House, his closest Texas friend as his political adviser, and many other Texans took head positions in government, democracy had power once again, Wil
In what policy areas are Texans most likely to support the federal government?
Internal improvements (roads), foreign affairs, commerce
How has the Tea Party movement affected politics in Texas?
Strong preference for less and smaller gov, particularly the fed role (spending, taxing, and regulations)
What does the supremacy clause state?
Article VI of US constitution and laws passed by the national gov and all the treaties are the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or subdivision
Know the different types of governmental systems (federalism, confederation, etc.)
...
Why did Texas not join the United States in 1836?
The US wouldn't allow slavery and Texas had all it needed, wanted to be it's own country, feared with Mexico
Know the annexation agreement between the United States and Texas
Texas had to give the fed gov their military armaments, bases, and facilities, pertaining to public defense, they also had to retain the right to all its vacant and unappreciated lands as well as its public debt, tx allowed to divide into 4 additional sta
Know the history of political parties in Texas after the Civil War
Most democrats became overpowered by the "Radical Republican" (bloc of republicans in the us congress who pushed through the adoption of black suffrage as well as an extended period of military occupation of the south following the civil war
What was the major purpose of the current state constitution when it was written?
Needed to fix Governor Davis's tyranny, corruption, and power imbalance allowed in the 1869 constitution
Know the climate (setting/feelings) of the Constitutional Convention of 1875
Political climate changed from Republican dominant to Anti Republican (Democratic) tense atmosphere. Constitutional Convention of 1875 was a reaction to 1869
Know the attempts to revise the Texas Constitution
Between 400 and 500 (481)
Know the process for amending the Texas Constitution
1) legislature proposes amendments
2)approval by 66% of chamber
3)amendment must be published twice in a recognized newspaper so people can see
4)a majority of state voters must approve
Know the political party history of Texas (from statehood until present day)
Texas has been a one party state except during the 1990's we were what looked like to be a two party state. Ann Richards elected in 1990 and was strictly a democrat.
Know the different roles and functions of political parties
Perhaps the most important function of parties in Texas is that they provide a label under which candidates may run and with which voters may identify. 2.
Approximately 91 percent of Texas voters either identify with or lean toward the Republican Party or
What are the differences between interest groups and political parties?
A political party's purpose is help candidates win elections and assist voters in making their electoral choices, whereas interest groups seek to share common goals and actively try to influence the government's programs and policies.
What is party polarization?
An individual's stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party
How does Texas' party system differ from that of other Southern states?
Most other southern states have a historically larger African American population than Texas
What is political socialization?
The process of learning about politics
Know the structure of political parties in Texas (i.e., temporary and permanent organization)
- Temporary party organization encompasses a large number of organized party supporters involved in choosing candidates and mobilizing voter support in primary and general election campaigns to win political power
- Permanent party organization is run by
Know the different function of both the temporary and permanent organizations of political parties
- Temporary party organization encompasses a large number of organized party supporters involved in choosing candidates and mobilizing voter support in primary and general election campaigns to win political power
- Permanent party organization is run by
Who were the Dixiecrats?
Southern Democrats who broke from the party in 1948 over the issue of civil rights and ran a presidential ticket as the States' Rights Democrats.
Know Duverger's Law
In single-member system, a two-party system will emerge
When are third parties most successful?
- The Grange and Populist movements
- States' Rights Party, or Dixiecrat's
- George Wallace and segregation
- The civil rights movement and La Raza Unida
- The Libertarian Party
- The 2006 election for governor
Why are primary elections in Texas so important?
Primary elections are the time to pick the best fitting candidate, because
When are primaries in Texas usually held?
March/May
What is a runoff election?
A runoff election is sometimes (rarely) held when there are three or more candidates and none of them won a majority of the votes. It's another election between just the two top vote getters, held weeks after the first election, at great expense, and usua
What type of primary system does Texas have?
Semi-open primary
Why are special elections held?
- An election outside the regular schedule of elections
- Called when an office (such as a U.S. senator) is vacant due to death or resignation and must be filled mid-term
- Can also be called to vote on referendum, initiative, or recall effort
Why do independent candidates rarely appear on the ballot in Texas?
Must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot
Know the devices Texas used to deny the right to vote (i.e., poll tax, white primary, etc.)
- The poll tax required voters to pay a tax (Tended to disenfranchise poorer people)
- Early registration of voters long before the general election (Effectively prevented migrant workers from voting)
- White primary
Know Smith v. Allwright (1944)
The denying of African Americans the right to vote in a primary election was found to be a violation of the 15th Amendment
Know the Voting rights Act of 1965
- Outlawed discriminatory voting practices (Jim Crow Laws) that tried to stop blacks from voting
- Could send federal people to register voters
- Selma Al
What are the qualifications for voting in Texas?
- A United States citizen;
- A resident of the Texas county in which application for registration is made;
- At least 18 years old on Election Day;
- Not finally convicted of a felony, or, if so convicted must have (1) fully discharged the sentence, inclu
What determines whether a person votes?
Many socioeconomic factors (education, income, gender, age, and race.) MOST IMPORTANT is income and education
What is reapportionment?
Determines how many congressional seats each state will receive
What is preclearance?
Mandated by the voting rights act of 1965, the prior approval by the justice department of changes to or new election laws by certain states
Why do campaigns cost so much in Texas?
The contests and characters on display in the 2004 campaign provided ample illustration of the particular forces at work in the Texas electoral universe. These include the still growing dominance of the Republican Party, battles over congressional redistr