1. Compare and contrast the Texas state constitution with national constitution. In 1789, the United States Constitution established rules for the nation. The states created constitutions to define the United States Constitution to limit the power of Congress. Texas last updated their constitution in 1876, which is still used today. Although the constitutions have similar content, they vary in many aspects such as the Texas Constitution has plural executive powers that allow the division of executive government. For example, the commissioner of agriculture associated with the chief executive but their position allows a balance of interests in consumer and environmental protection. Furthermore, if the executive government wanted to abuse the …show more content…
In the Texas Constitution, there are seventeen articles in total and the first one being the Bill of Rights. On the other hand, the United States Constitution has seven articles; the first articles discuss the legislative powers. Although, Texas and the national constitution have similarities such as the protection and order of the citizens; they also have differences which is the structure and features of the constitution. 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. 2. In debates about public education, what is the “achievement gap?” What policies have been implemented to address this
The Texas Constitution and the United States Constitution have been essential in the governing of Texas and the United States, respectively. Both documents have set limits on what the governments can and cannot do and help both governments administer their respective constituents. The Texas Constitution and the US Constitution share similarities such as the separation of powers and checks and balances; however, because of their differing histories, they have many differences such as how the executive and the judiciary are elected. These similarities and differences have led to strengths and weaknesses in the two documents, and parts of the US Constitution can help the governing of Texas, and vice versa.
The state of Texas has had six constitutions. The constitution that took effect on February 15, 1876 is the current one still used today. The Texas Constitution is the second longest constitution in the United States, and one of the oldest still in effect. Since the constitution has been adopted it has been
Constitutions are a necessary tool in keeping a Nation running in a smooth manner. One is also necessary in keeping the components, which are states, running in an ordered way. The constitution of Texas has a long historical trail from 1827 to 1876 and there are many events that occurred during this time period. The current Texas constitution has many strengths and weaknesses and there have been revisions made to this document. This document limits the way government can be involved in certain problems that arise in Texas. The Texas constitution is a document with positives and negatives but it is definitely a necessity.
Many politicians criticize the Texas Constitution for its excessive length, especially when compared with the constitutions of other states. Texas has the second longest constitution at 86,936 words, coming in second only to Alabama’s constitution, which is four times longer. This length enumerates in detail the power of each branch of government, just as any state’s
They are different because proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are in the form of joint resolutions instead of bills and require a vote of two-thirds of the entire membership in each house for adoption. Compared to the federal government which requires ratification by 3 quarters
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
The Constitution of 1876 is the constitution by which Texas lives by. Even after its 467 amendments, the Texas Constitution is still similar to the original document from 1876. The purpose of the constitution was because Texas wanted to have protection for various private interests. The people of Texas were motivated to limit the powers of state government and wanted to be sure they would avoid the abuse of government powers they once witnessed during the Reconstruction phase. The constitution has had some influences. Going back to when Texas was governed by Spain and then by Mexico, we still have sections in the constitution that deals with land titles and land law, debtor relief, judicial procedures, marital relations and adoptions, and water and mineral rights. Back in 1827, the constitution of the state of Coahuila y Tejas had provided a unicameral legislature but didn’t have a bill of rights. Texas at the time did not adopt the required Catholicism into their constitution, although they added to recognize slavery. In 1836 when Texas became independent it adopted the Republic Constitution of 1836. Texas then established a unitary form of government, freedom of religion, property rights protection, and legal recognition of slavery. When Texas became a state it reflected on traditionalistic southern culture. It
The United States Constitution and Texas Constitution are similar, but not indistinguishable. The constitution was made to prevent tyranny in the states from the idea of the Federalists who wanted to build a strong form of government that gave people rights without giving their representatives too much power. Additionally, both constitutions form a bicameral form of government, a House of Representatives, and a Senate. The Federalists wanted a strong central government to help the economic and social tensions; however, the Anti-Federalist feared the elite. Based on that, the purpose for a government was to protect liberty, which meant the reason for writing the constitution was to enable the government with certain limitations; that way the citizens would have rights by electing representatives. The most significant differences are the importance of why the constitutions were formed, the functions of the unitary or plural representation executives and the limited ability of the legislative power.
We follow regulations everyday of our lives. Whether it be making a complete stop at a stop sign, paying our taxes, or refraining ourselves from cutting off the tag of a mattress. It’s important to know what rules we and our elected officials are held accountable for. Being aware and knowing the difference between the United States and Texas Constitution allows citizens to be apprehensive of what is happening in our government. The topics on the amending and impeachment system and the Judicial and Executive Branch grant insight of the proceedings in our governments.
The U.S. constitution and the Texas constitution have similarities and differences. Both constitutions have a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a summary of the rights given to all people. These constitutions also talk about suffrage and taxes. Just like how both of these constitutions have similarities, they also have differences. The Texas constitution is longer than the U.S. constitution and discusses the rights first. It also deals with state and local issues not brought up in the U.S. constitution. Both constitutions have a Bill of Rights, but the Texas constitution discusses citizens’ rights at the beginning of article one. The Texas Bill of Rights has the same protections for citizens like the U.S. Bill of Rights does, but the Texas Bill of Rights extends beyond federal protections. The executive branch is the branch that the president is in charge of. The definition of the executive branch is “The branch of federal and state government that is broadly
The Texas Constitution and the U.S. Constitution share many similarities, but also are very different. Both documents share basic principles of a democratic government. The Texas and U.S. Constitution both contain civil liberty protections and protections against government transgression. Both constitutions share a federal government system in which the smaller areas or states have less power than the national government. Bicameral houses, checks and balances, and separation of powers are prevalent in both documents. Even though these two constitutions have many similarities, they also share many differences. The differences stem from the origin of their creation, the U.S. Constitution was created to replace the Articles of Confederation because
The U.S. Constitution has seven short articles and 27 amendments leaving out a significant amount of detail, giving lawmaking to be done by statute. Over 200 years has passed since it was created and very little of it has been altered. It is concise in its words but is also flexible in its interpretation. According to the book, Governing Texas, the U.S. Constitution was written “to overcome the liabilities of the Articles of Confederation and create government that could act effectively in the public welfare in a variety of policy areas” (Champagne et al. 63). The U.S. Constitution focuses on the public versus the Texas Constitution, which focuses on protecting the public from too much governmental power. The Texas Constitution strongly implies the fundamental idea of limited government and has extensive, intricate articles and amendments. In 2016, it contained 16 articles and 491 amendments. Governing Texas states that the Texas Constitution “was written to prevent the expansion of government authority and return of a system of political power that was perceived as acting against the interests of the people.” (Champagne et al.
There were a couple of things I learned about the Texas Constitution for instance that there were previsions pulled from Spanish Mexican law, and Texas can actually pull itself from the union and become its own country. However, I think what amazed me most was the fact of how many times the State Constitution has been amended. The Texas Constitution has ninety thousand words and has been amended 474 times since 1876, making it the second longest Constitution after Alabama. There are only three other states that have amended their constitution more than Texas, those are South Carolina, California, and Alabama. The US Constitution has only twenty-seven amendments in its existence, far less than our State Constitution. The amendments to the
While the U.S. Constitutions assigns power of education to states, Texas Constitution assumes that power and prescribes the structure and operation of Texas public schools. Article VII in the Texas Constitution establishes public schools, asylums and universities. The Texas Constitution guarantees free public education for all students. Public lands are designated so that half of the land
State constitutions have many functions. A state constitution defines the powers given to political institutions and also to individuals. For example, the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the Texas Constitution “provides specific freedoms to the citizens and limits the power of the government.” (Vocabulary.com) The constitution also prevents any one person, persons or political office from becoming too powerful by using a system of checks and balances. State constitutions also declare rights for its citizens which do not allow certain kinds of government activities to intrude upon their lives. Texas’s Constitution goes much further in defining the people’s rights than the US Constitution.