Texas Government - Unit I Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key political theory concepts, Texas constitutional history, federalism, and local government systems from Unit I lecture notes.

Government

The political direction and control exercised over the actions of members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states.

Democracy

A system of government derived from the Greek words 'demos' (people) and 'kratos' (rule), defined as control of an organization or group by a majority of its members.

Politics

The process used to determine who gets what, when, where, why, and how within a society.

Aristotle

Greek philosopher (384 BC - 322 BC) and student of Plato who articulated Natural Law and classified correct forms of government (monarchy, aristocracy, polity) and corrupt forms (tyranny, oligarchy, democracy).

Polity

According to Aristotle, a correct form of government ruled by the many for the common good, centered on a virtuous middle class.

Thomas Aquinas

Medieval scholar (1225 - 1274) who argued that Natural Law and Christianity are compatible, asserting that God created Natural Law and that optimal government combines monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Renaissance political theorist (1469 - 1527) and author of The Prince and Discourses who championed republicanism, mixed government, and balancing power between the elite and the people.

Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor (1393 - 1468) who developed the printing press in 1440 and printed the Gutenberg Bible in 1445, transforming the dissemination of political and religious information.

Martin Luther

Key figure of the 1517 Protestant Reformation who challenged church authority by nailing his treatises, empowering individual faith and laying groundwork for the separation of church and state.

Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

Peace treaty ending the Thirty Years' War that established national sovereignty and borders while promoting religious freedom and reducing church influence.

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher (1588 - 1679) and author of Leviathan (1651) who argued that man's natural state is war and that a sovereign monarch is necessary to restrain human nature and maintain order.

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher (1632 - 1704) who formulated Social Contract Theory, asserting that government exists with the consent of the governed to protect natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

Isaac Newton

Enlightenment scientist (1643 - 1727) whose Laws of Motion ($F = ma$) and rational worldview challenged fate and the Divine Right to Rule.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Enlightenment philosopher (1712 - 1778) and author of On the Social Contract (1762) who advocated direct democracy, popular sovereignty, and civic virtue over representative systems.

Monarchy

A government system in which supreme political power is vested in hereditary kings and queens.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which political power is concentrated in the hands of a small, elite group based on wealth, social status, or military standing.

Aristocracy

A government form where political power is held by the nobility or citizens of the highest social status.

Autocracy

A system where government control is centralized around a single individual, operating authoritatively and often under a one-party rule.

Republic

A representative system of government where the interests of the public are represented by elected citizens accountable to the people.

Popular Sovereignty

The political principle that legitimate public authority resides in the majority of citizens, who retain the right to govern themselves under a social contract.

Popular Consent

The idea that a government derives its power directly from the consent of the people it governs.

Procedural Democracy

A dimension of democracy defined by operational procedures such as free and fair elections, secret ballots, universal suffrage, political equality, and official term limits.

Accommodative Democracy

A democratic framework featuring a loyal opposition that operates within established political structures to challenge elected leadership.

Pluralist Democracy

A democratic model with multiple political parties and organized civil society groups that act as a check on state power.

Liberal Democracy

A system characterized by unimpeded political participation, popular sovereignty, and constitutionally protected rights and liberties.

Substantive Democracy

A democratic structure in which the government actively enforces and guarantees equal civil rights across society.

Empresarios

Land contractors authorized by the Mexican government to recruit and settle families in Texas, such as Stephen F. Austin.

Stephen F. Austin

Known as the 'Father of Texas' (1793 - 1836), the primary empresario who spearheaded Anglo settlement into Mexican Texas.

Tejanos

Hispanic citizens living in Texas during the Spanish colonial and Mexican periods.

Adelsverein Society

An organization established in the 1840s that organized and sponsored German immigration into Texas.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that concluded the Mexican-American War (1846 - 1848), resolving border disputes and ceding Mexican territory to the U.S.

Carpetbaggers

A derogatory Reconstruction-era term for Northerners who migrated to the South after the Civil War to engage in Southern politics and reform.

Scalawags

A derogatory term used during Reconstruction for Southern white unionists who supported Republican policies and Reconstruction governments.

George Ruby

Free-born Reconstruction politician and educator in Galveston known as 'The Politician', who served in the Freedmen's Bureau, was the only Black delegate at the RNC, and helped write the 1869 Texas Constitution.

Walter Moses Burton

Former slave and Reconstruction politician known as 'The Sheriff', who became the first Black sheriff in the U.S. in Fort Bend County and served 4 terms in the Texas Senate while helping found Prairie View A&M.

Matthew Gaines

Former slave, farmer, and minister known as 'The Minister', who served in the Texas Senate during Reconstruction and championed land-grant legislation that led to Texas A&M.

State of Coahuila y Tejas

The joint Mexican state established under the Constitution of 1824, uniting Coahuila and Tejas with its capital at Saltillo.

Layer Cake vs. Marble Cake Federalism

A conceptual model contrasting Dual Federalism (layer cake, where national and state powers are clearly separated) with Cooperative Federalism (marble cake, where national, state, and local authority overlap and mix).

General Law City

A Texas municipality operating strictly under general state statutes, possessing only explicitly granted powers (typically cities with populations under 5,000).

Home Rule City

A Texas city with a population greater than 5,000 that has adopted its own custom charter, permitting broad local self-governance as long as actions do not conflict with state law.

Incorporation

The formal legal process through which local residents petition the state to form a municipal corporation with defined boundary lines and a state charter.

Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)

Unincorporated land surrounding a city's legal boundaries (extending 0.5 to 5 miles depending on population) where the city holds limited regulatory oversight over growth.

Annexation

The authority of a municipality to incorporate surrounding land in its Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction into its official city limits.

Council-Manager Government

A municipal governance model where elected voters choose a city council to establish policy, while a hired professional City Manager directs administrative operations and department heads.

Weak Mayor-Council System

A city government arrangement where the mayor has limited executive power, sharing administrative oversight with council members and other elected department officials without veto power.

Strong Mayor-Council System

A municipal structure where the elected mayor exercises strong executive powers, including veto authority over council actions, direct budget control, and power to appoint or remove department heads.

At-Large Election System

An electoral format in which city council members are chosen by voters across the entire municipality rather than by individual geographic districts.

Single-Member District System

An electoral arrangement where a municipality is divided into equal-population geographic districts, with voters in each district electing a single council representative.

County Commissioners Court

The central governing body of a Texas county, consisting of a presiding County Judge and four County Commissioners elected from equal-population precincts.

Texas County Government Structure

A plural executive system where county voters independently elect executive department heads (Sheriff, County Clerk, Attorney, Tax Assessor) alongside the Commissioners Court.

Special Purpose District

A unit of local government created to deliver a specific service (such as fire protection, water management, or schooling) within a designated geographic boundaries.

Independent School District (ISD)

A type of special purpose district in Texas governed by an elected board of trustees that manages public education independently of city or county governments.