Texas has been through a lot of changes and constitutions. After constants debates of what the constitution should be, the current Texas constitution was established in 1876 and is the 7th constitution Texas has had. It created 3 branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The current constitution has great qualities, but it also contains a lot of weaknesses that shouldn’t be ignored for the sake of pride. First, the strengths need to be acknowledged; Texas has always been about their own freedom and their own individuality and the constitution reflects that. The constitution establishes rights such as “freedom of speech, press, and assembly” (Collier et al 62). This is great because it provides a sense of security for the …show more content…
It limits the power of the branches and their time in office. According to the book, Lone Star Politics, the delegates’ goal is to “limit the power of the governor” (Collier et al 65). That’s why the Texas Governor it’s considered weak against governors from other states. Also, the constitution created a part time-time citizen legislature (63). Their work only consists of 140 days. Basically, the constitution is a set of rules for the government so they don’t acquire too much power. In a state, where distrust of the Government has always been present, it makes sense that the constitution wants to restrict …show more content…
The constitution was created in the “era of cowboys and cattle drives” (Collier et al 66). This is not Texas currently. Texas is mostly urban now, and the population has been growing ever since, and that includes the population of Hispanic and African Americans. It has come to the point that Hispanics are almost surpassing the number of Whites in Texas. Texas has changed into a diverse state with the millions of persons. The economy of Texas it’s no longer based on farms and ranches, but on the industry, finance, shipping, energy, etc. (67). All this explains why the constitution it’s now outdated and doesn’t connect with current Texas. In conclusion, Texas constitution has both strengths and weakness, but it feels that the weakness outshines the strengths. The main problem is that it does not represent Texas anymore, so the rights given by the constitution and the limited government feel useless against this fact. Because if a constitution does not reflect the state it’s supposed to, everything else does not matter. Texas is a diverse state in constant change, and the constitution should be able to adapt to current
Texas is a prime example of the state constitutions in general. Ever since the integration
We can conclude that in order to amend the Texas constitution a proposal must be initiated during a regular session or special session of the legislator. In addition, a unanimous two-thirds vote must be achieved before an election can be held for the people to vote on the amendment. Although citizens voiced their concerns for reform of the constitution during the 1970’s only one reform attempt resulted in an opportunity for the electorate to vote. In the end the constitutional reform did not succeed because of shady tactics, specific individuals, and fear of change. The recent Supreme Court Ruling on gay marriages is an example of why the Texas constitution is to constrict and non-free flowing. Due to the fact that it is so detailed they would not of had the ability to allow gay marriages to be legal without a specific
In the Texas Constitution it talks about information that just deals with Texas alone, that the U.S. Constitution doesn't have. For one, it talks about Education. Explaining how it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the state to establish and make suitable provisions for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools. The Texas Constitution also includes information about corporations, municipal and private. It has the Spanish and Mexican Land titles under it which no other state has in their constitution. And finally the Texas Constitution establishes rules concerning railroads.
The Texas Constitution has many weaknesses, but has many strengths to correlate to such weaknesses. These drawbacks include the excessive length, the specificity of directly addressed policy problems, and the difficulty amending the Constitution. However, the Texas Constitution reserves additional rights to citizens and reflects the idea of preserving a limited federal government.
The first constitution of Texas adopted on March 1, 1836 opens with these words, “We, the people of Texas, in order to form a Government, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense and general welfare; and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves, and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution”. (“Constitution of Republic of Texas” pp. 9-25.) Created in 1836, the first Constitution of the Republic of Texas was born. Fearful of attack by Mexican troops, fifty nine delegates, borrowing from other State Constitutions and the United States Constitution, met at the Washington-on-the-Brazos to write the first Constitution for Texas as an independent unitary body of Government. (Haag
Texas and California are two states in the US that are comparable in terms of their population, resources, size, economy and constitution. The Texas Constitution is the foundation of the statehood of Texas within which the government operates in the same way that U.S. constitution governs the affairs of the whole country with its allocated power. The Texas constitution has a huge influence on the daily lives of Texans Possibly even more than the U.S. Constitution. Although all states have its own constitution, Texas and California have different ways in which they gained their constitution. Like most state in the U.S. The state of California gained its constitution after the civil war, the constitution was ratified in 1879 and It is similar to the Texas constitution in many ways. Both constitutions are founded on the unanimous vote of its people and are grounded by the rule of
War Between the States The Civil War was one of America’s bloodiest conflicts. 2 % of the population of the United States, or 620,000 men lost their lives in the Civil War. Conflicts between the North and South states eventually led to the war. In December 1820, South Carolina seceded from the United States. Afterward, many states in the North followed its example and broke away from America, including Texas.
The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document representing the structure and function of the Texas government. The current Constitution took effect on February 15, 1876 and is the sixth Constitution in the history of Texas. When first constructed, the Texas Constitution was a poorly organized document that did not explain clearly the responsibility for government actions. Since its conception (through June 2011), there have been 646 proposed amendments and 476 adopted amendments added to this document. The Texas Constitution is also highly restrictive; it only grants enumerated powers to the State of Texas and does not allow for implied powers. The constant change to this Constitution has added to its poor organized condition that is extremely difficult to understand, even by the courts.
In conclusion, the Texas and national constitution have a time gap for their latest upgrade, and it is utilized to create a good society in the country. In the United States Constitution, the guidelines are broad which allows the states to interpret the guidelines for their consideration. Although it may seem that the politicians are interpreting guideline by their will, it is not thoroughly true. As a democratic country, the people elect the representatives that allow them to speak on their behalf. Therefore, it is not only the politicians who interpret the laws but the people as well.
Throughout the 171 years of Texas’ statehood, it has ran under a numerous amount of Constitutions (Braden 1). The Texas constitution is among the longest of state constitutions in the United States. The constitution had been amended 483 times since its adoption in 1876 (Braden 1). Amending the constitution is a lengthy process and even led to efforts of a constitutional reform during the 1970’s, which in the end had failed.
Texas is a state that prefers a limited style of government, because there is a high distrust in the government’s ability to create laws
The state of Texas is the second biggest state in the United States of America and it has a long, interesting, and unique history. Texas became a state in 1945 and before that, had many different versions of Texas constitutions. The main two that will be examined in this essay are the 1869 Texas Constitution and the 1876 Texas constitutions. They had different goals in the way that they viewed the role of government in the state of Texas.
A constitution is an accumulation of principles and rules that establishes the character of a government. Additionally, by showing the authority each part of the government holds, it is describing the organization and regulation of the government and how a society must conform. The Texas constitution has been reformed on multiple occasions and is troublesome to amend due to it being highly restrictive and detailed. The process on how to amend the Texas constitution, the attempts and failure of the constitutional reform in the 1970’s and why Texas should adopt an easily accessible and flexible constitution are the primary focal points that will be addressed throughout this essay.
To amend the Texas Constitution it is required that two thirds of each chamber of the state legislature to adopt a proposed amendment. Only a simple majority of the voters can approve it in a constitutional amendment election. The constitution the state of Texas explains the structure of the government. Most amendments are due to the documents of highly restricted nature. The Texas constitution functions as a limiting document, while the federal costs is a granting document.
Since Texas independence from Mexico in 1863, Texas has been governed by the sixth constitution which is the constitution of 1876. The constitution of 1876 was framed by the Constitutional Convention of 1875 and remains the basic natural law of Texas. The current Texas constitution is the main source of power for Texas government. It established