POLS207 TAMUG

V.O. Key

Founder of modern political science. Says Texas is so big that instead of organizing together politicians do "attention getting antics".

John Steinbeck

"There is no physical or geographical unity in Texas. It's unity lies in the mind."

Caddo Tribe

"The Romans of Texas". Their hierarchy: sub-chief, tribal chiefs & the Great Caddi. "Teches"(friend) --> Tejas --> Texas

Unlike the US....

Texas has many of its legal traditions rooted in Spanish/Mexican tradition

One of the biggest changes the Spanish brought to the US...

Horses

Empresario

An entrepreneur who made money colonizing areas in Texas during the 1800s

Anglo settlements in the 1800s

The Anglos didn't like how the official language was Spanish, slavery was banned, and they were being forced into Catholicism

Adams-Onis Treaty (1819)

under its terms, the United States paid Spain $5 million for Florida, Spain recognized America's claims to the Oregon Country, and the United States surrendered its claim to northern Mexico (Texas)

Organic Law

law determining the fundamental political principles of a government

Treaty of Velasco

Texans captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign it recognizing the Republic of Texas.

Why did the annexation of Texas from Mexico to US take 9 years?

No one knew what to do about Texas because it violated the Compromise of 1820 which stated no slavery above the Missouri river, a bit of Texas was above the line & it had slaves. It was solved by a land deal which stated that Tx would sell some of its land & the state could keep its publicly owned land.

TX V. White (1869)

" Texas chose to enter the Union, it can also choose to leave it."

The U.S. Supreme Court found that the U.S. constitution does not provide for states to leave the union

Mexico-American War

US troops entered Mexican Territory & Mexico issued a defensive war

Treaty of Hidalgo (1848)

Treaty that ended the Mexican War, granting the U.S. control of Texas, New Mexico, and California in exchange for $15 million

Texas in the Confederacy

Texas left the Union and joined the Confederacy as a pro-slavery state.

Confederate Army led by Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union leader Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

Union forces occupied the south for 12 years (1865-1877) during Reconstruction.

Texas officially rejoined Union in 1870.

What time period was caused by states passing Black Codes, The Texas Constitution of 1866 being adopted, and the Freedmen's Bureau?

Texas Reconstruction

Second Reconstruction Act

lead to TX readmission to the US & granted rights to African Americans, including: the right to vote, testify in court against whites, & attend public schools

Era of Reform

Texas transitioned from farming & ranching to an oil & industrial economy. ( Oil replaced "King Cotton" )

The Great Depression

Overproduction of oil into the market. Galveston became the place to get illegal alcohol during the prohibition

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.

Individualistic Political Culture

the belief that government should limit its role to providing order in society, so that citizens can pursue their economic self-interests

Traditionalistic Political Culture

a culture that views the government as necessary to maintaining the existing social order or the status quo

Unitary System

System of government in which all power is invested in a central government.

Confederal System

A form of government in which independent states unite to accomplish common goals.

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Enumerated Powers

Powers given to the national government alone

Implied Powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.

Concurrent Powers

powers shared by the national and state governments

Fiscal Powers

the use of national financial incentives to motivate states to adopt uniform policies

Vertical Federalism

The distribution of power between the national government and state governments.

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws

Reserved Powers (10th Amendment)

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Horizontal Federalism

Term used to refer to relationships among the states

Privileges and Immunities Clause

prevents a state from treating citizens of other states in a discriminatory manner.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Constitution's requirement that each state accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state

Extradition

provision made by the constitution to return a fugitive back to the states

Dual Federalism

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.

Cooperative Federalism

A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government. They may also share costs, administration, and even blame for programs that work poorly.

Devolution

the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states

Categorical Grants

Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport

Block Grant

Money given to states for general programs within a broad category

Unfunded Mandates

Programs that the Federal government requires States to implement without Federal funding.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Established that there is an implied right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution

Roe v. Wade (1973)

State laws against abortion were unconstitutional

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)

restrictions can be placed on abortion

Dillion's Rule (1868)

the principal that all local governments are creations of state governments

Home Rule City

a city given greater latitude in deciding the organization & functioning of its government

Texas Constitution of 1876

Texas's lengthy, much-amended constitution, a product of the post-Reconstruction era.

Texas Constitution of 1836

declared independence from Mexico, house and senate, modeled after US constitution. legalized slavery, women get half property during marriage, right of women to manage affairs.

Texas Constitution of 1845

Tx was admitted to the Union as a state of the United States as a slave state under this constitution.

Hernandez v. Texas (1954)

Even though being Mexican was considered "white" Hernandez wasn't allowed 14th Amendment rights. The court extended protection against discrimination to Hispanics.

Texas Constitution of 1861

Texas secedes from the union and became part of the confederacy

Texas Constitution of 1866

Civil war ended, Union won. abolished slavery, stated that secession is illegal

Home Rule City

a city given greater latitude in deciding the organization & functioning of its government

Texas Constitution of 1836

legalized slavery,

Texas Constitution of 1869

2nd Reconstruction Constitution; African Americans were given the right to vote. Written because the last one was written by the confederation.

Texas Constitution of 1876

The current constitution is among the longest of state constitutions in the United States. Promoted individual freedom for white men, Freedom of Religion, (acknowledges "Supreme Being")

Habeas Corpus

a right in the constitution that protects against unlawful & indefinite imprisonment

Black Codes

Southern laws designed to restrict the rights of the newly freed black slaves

Federalist Papers

New articles that try to teach people what the constitution was about. Deal with factions by removing its causes ( making everyone the same ) or by controlling its effects. Liberty is the air to the factions fire. We got to break up the majority's power so they check each other.

How will the Government be restrained?

Make each part of the government control each other and themselves. The people will restrain the government by voting. " Democracy isn't a spectator sport."

Caucuses

A closed meeting of a political or legislative group to choose candidates for office or to decide issues of policy. (similar to the factions Madison describes)

Standing Committees

permanent committees responsible for legislation in particular policy areas

Statutory Committees

they watch over the new laws to make sure that people are following them

Conference Committees

They change & fix the wording of the new law being made before it gets made real by the Senate

Special Committees

in charge of 1 particular task that isn't going to last long. ex: HVAC during the red scare

Interim Committees

temporary committees that study issues between regular sessions and make recommendations on legislation

Killer Amendment

an amendment designed to make a measure so unattractive that it will lack enough support to pass

Rider

a provision included in a bill on a subject other than the one covered in the bill

Closed Rider

a rider that is not made public until after the legislature has voted on the bill; it is made public either when the bill goes to conference committee for reconciliation or when the governor prepares to sign the bill into law.

Filibuster

a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches

Chubbing

A practice whereby representatives engage in lengthy debate for the purpose of using time and thus preventing a vote on a bill that they oppose.