POLS 2312 Module 1

The Constitution of 1869 (reconstruction)

Granted full rights and privileges to former slaves

Not considered a function of a constitution

Establish the role of parties and interest groups

Fundamental law by which a state is organized and governed is

its constitution

The Bill of Rights of the Texas Constitution

protects some rights not protected in the US constitution

Group charged with interpreting the meaning of the Texas Constitution

The members of the judiciary

In 1974, a Constitutional convention was convened to rewrite the Texas constitution. The result was

The convention could not agree on a new constitution to propose to the voters

The primary objective of the authors of the 1876 Texas Constitution was to

Undo everything the previous government had done

Was NOT included in the legislative proposals to revise the Texas constitution submitted to the voters in 1975

Change election of judges to appointments

The constitution of 1876

Allowed very few elections

The probability that Texas will completely rewrite their constitution

is very slim (unlikely)

In order to submit a constitutional amendment to the voters for ratification, the legislature must

propose an amendment by 2/3 in each chamber

about how many times has the Texas Constitution been amended

480

Relative to the US constitution, the constitution of texas

has been amended (changed) more often

A judge who changes the meaning of the constitution by his own interpretation of its words

is within his legal rights as a judge

One of the reasons for the failure of the 1974 convention to write a new texas constitution

the overwhelming power of interest groups

The influence of the farmers (Grange) is evident in the 1876 constitution in

limitations on banks (foreclosure and franchising)

The convention that wrote our current Texas constitution

was dominated by democrats

Which constitution least reflected the values and interests usually associated with Texas?

a) 1836 (Nationhood)
b) 1876 (Texas const)
c) 1869 (Reconstruction) CORRECT
d) 1827 (Mexican

What did the authors of the constitution of the nation of Texas (1836) have in common with the authors who wrote the constitution under which we are currently governed?

a) They were almost all business persons or attorneys
b) They were primarily from the southern regions of the US CORRECT
c) They were mostly republicans
d) All the answers