Texas History and Government Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and explicit definitions derived from the Texas history and government lecture notes.

Six flags of Texas

Spain, France, Republic of Mexico, Republic of Texas, United States, and Confederate States of America.

Fort Saint Louis

French settlement whose presence encouraged Spain to increase settlement and build missions and presidios in Texas.

Empresario system

A Mexican land-grant system that gave contractors land for recruiting settlers to Texas.

Battle of Gonzales

An 1835 conflict in which Texans resisted Mexican forces with the Come and Take It cannon, beginning open revolt.

The Alamo

Site where, after a two-week siege, Santa Anna's forces killed the defenders on March 6, 1836.

Goliad Massacre

Event where Santa Anna ordered the execution of James Fannin and hundreds of captured Texan troops.

Runaway Scrape

The retreat of the Texan army and civilians ahead of Santa Anna's advancing forces.

Battle of San Jacinto

Battle on April 21, 1836, where Sam Houston defeated and captured Santa Anna, securing Texas independence.

Treaty of Velasco

Treaty in which Santa Anna agreed to recognize Texas independence after being captured at San Jacinto.

Battle of Palmito Ranch

Civil War battle fought in Texas after Robert E. Lee had already surrendered.

Juneteenth

June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger announced emancipation in Texas through General Order No. 3.

Thirteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery.

Fourteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment that established citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law.

Fifteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment that protected the voting rights of Black men.

Carpetbaggers

Northern Republicans who moved to the South during Reconstruction.

Scalawags

White Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party.

Texas Constitution of 1869

Reconstruction constitution that centralized power, expanded the governor's authority, gave Black men voting rights, and disenfranchised many former Confederates.

Texas Constitution of 1876

Current Texas constitution adopted to limit government after the powerful and controversial administration of Governor Edmund J. Davis.

Spindletop

A 1901 oil discovery that accelerated industrialization, job growth, migration, technology, and urbanization.

Political culture

Shared beliefs, values, and attitudes about the proper roles of government and citizens.

Moralistic political culture

Political culture in which government should promote the public good, and citizen participation is a civic duty.

Individualistic political culture

Political culture in which government should maintain order and protect property while interfering as little as possible.

Traditionalistic political culture

Political culture in which government should maintain the existing social order, with power concentrated among established elites.

Provincialism

A narrow political outlook associated with rural values, limited government, resistance to outsiders, and intolerance of diversity.

Yellow Dog Democrat

A voter so loyal to the Democratic Party that they would vote for any Democratic candidate.

Majority-minority state

A state in which racial and ethnic minority groups combined outnumber the non-Hispanic white population.

Texas Triangle

The heavily populated region connecting Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

In-migration

Movement into Texas from another U.S. state.

Immigration

Movement into Texas from another country.

Unitary system

A system of government in which the central government controls lower levels of government.

Confederal system

A system of government in which independent states retain most power and create a weak central government.

Federal system

A system of government in which national and state governments share power.

Delegated or enumerated powers

Powers specifically granted to the national government, mainly in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Implied powers

Powers not directly stated but reasonably connected to the national government's enumerated powers.

Reserved powers

Powers kept by the states under the Tenth Amendment.

Concurrent powers

Powers shared by national and state governments, such as taxing, borrowing, and establishing courts.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Clause authorizing Congress to pass laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers; also called the Elastic Clause.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Supreme Court case establishing that Congress could create a national bank, Maryland could not tax it, and federal implied powers and supremacy were strengthened.

Supremacy Clause

Clause establishing that the U.S. Constitution and valid federal laws are superior to conflicting state and local laws.

Interstate Commerce Clause

Clause authorizing Congress to regulate commerce between states.

Tenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment establishing that powers not delegated to the federal government or prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people.

Equal Protection Clause

Clause requiring state and local governments to apply the law equally to people within their jurisdiction.

Due Process Clause

Clause requiring government to follow established legal procedures before depriving a person of life, liberty, or property.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Clause requiring states generally to recognize other states' public records, court judgments, and legal proceedings.

Privileges and Immunities Clause

Clause requiring states generally not to deny basic rights to citizens merely because they are residents of another state.

Dual federalism

A system with relatively separate national and state responsibilities, often described as a layer cake.

Cooperative federalism

A system in which national, state, and local governments work together with overlapping responsibilities, often described as a marble cake.

New federalism or devolution

An effort to return some authority and responsibility from the federal government to the states.

Categorical grant

Federal money for a narrowly defined purpose that comes with conditions or strings attached.

Block grant

Federal money for a broad policy area that gives states more discretion over spending.

Unfunded mandate

A federal requirement imposed on state or local government without enough federal money to pay for it.

Popular sovereignty

The principle that governmental power rests with the people.

Social contract theory

Theory that people consent to government so that government will protect their natural and inalienable rights.

Limited government

The principle that a constitution assigns and restricts government power.

Separation of powers

The division of authority among legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Checks and balances

Powers that allow each branch to limit the actions of the other branches.

Retrenchment and Reform

The slogan of the Texas Constitution of 1876, meaning dismantling the Davis administration and restricting the powers and spending of government.

Plural executive

An executive system in which power is divided among several independently elected officials, weakening the governor.

Police powers

The authority to regulate public health, safety, morals, and harmful social behavior.

General-purpose local government

A government with broad authority to address numerous community needs, such as a municipality.

Limited-purpose local government

A government created for narrower duties, such as a county, school district, or special district.

General law city

A city whose charter and powers are prescribed by state law and that may exercise only powers granted by the state.

Home rule city

A city with at least 5,000 residents that adopts its own charter and may act unless state law or the state constitution prohibits it.

Dillon's Rule

Principle stating that local governments may exercise only powers expressly granted by the state or necessarily implied by those powers.

Initiative (city level)

A process through which citizens propose an ordinance for a public vote.

Referendum (city level)

A public vote to approve or repeal an existing ordinance.

Recall (city level)

A public vote to remove an elected official before the end of their term.

Incorporation

The legal process of creating a municipal government.

Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ)

An area outside city limits where a city has limited authority over planning and development.

Annexation

The legal process through which a city adds adjoining unincorporated territory.

Council-manager form

City government structure where voters elect a council that sets policy and hires a professional city manager to oversee daily administration.

Strong mayor-council form

City government structure where the mayor serves as chief executive with appointment, removal, budget, and usually veto authority.

Weak mayor-council form

City government structure where the mayor shares authority with the council and other officials and has limited administrative, budget, and veto power.

At-large election system

An election system in which all city voters vote for every council position.

Single-member district election

An election system where only voters within a geographic district elect that district's council representative.

Cumulative voting

A voting system where voters receive as many votes as open seats and may distribute them or give several votes to one candidate.

Preferential voting

A voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference; also called instant-runoff voting.

County commissioners court

The county's legislative and administrative governing body, consisting of the county judge and four commissioners.

County tax assessor-collector

County official who collects taxes, handles vehicle registration, and often manages voter registration.

County clerk

County official who maintains county records, issues licenses and certificates, and helps administer elections.

Special-purpose district

A local government created to provide a specific service such as water, fire protection, health care, transportation, or flood control; sometimes called shadow governments.

Municipal utility district (MUD)

A special district usually created outside cities to provide water, sewage treatment, and related services.

Independent school district

A school district that operates independently of city and county governments and is governed by an elected board of trustees.

Permanent School Fund

Along with property taxes, a primary source of funding for Texas K-12 education.