Texas History/Geography
What is an Empresario and who was one?
A land agent contracted to bring settlers to the lower Brazos River valley.
Stephen F. Austin
What organization dictated most of the 1876 Texas Constitution?
A. Minutemen
B. Patrons of Husbandry
C. Congress
D. Southern Redeemers
Patrons of Husbandry:
A U.S. fraternal organization founded in 1867 to advance farmers' social, economic, and political interests, providing education and promoting cooperation to combat high railroad rates and middlemen.
The idea that the Constitution gives the legislative branch the power to make laws, the executive branch the power to enforce laws, and the judiciary the power to interpret law is referred to as ____.
Separation of powers.
Name three forms of political participation.
Volunteering for a political campaign, joining a political party, serving as a poll worker, attending meetings, donating to a candidate or party, signing petitions, contacting politicians, discussing politics, advocating for new laws and policies, and even running for office.
What is an example of volunteering?
-Feeding the homeless at a soup kitchen
-Helping make food relief baskets at the Food Bank
-Making crafts and doing activities with patients at an elderly home
A person who did not use enslaved people for labor but profited from the cotton industry is a ______.
Beneficiary of the slavery economy.
The idea that the power of the state rests with the people is referred to as ____.
Popular sovereignty
Federalism is a way of organizing a country so that two or more levels of government have formal authrity over the same area and people. It is a system of shared powers and jurisdictions between different units of government.
Dual federalism allows each level of government to be supreme within its own sphere of jurisdiction.
Cooperative Federalism is a "mixing" of authority and programs across the various levels (federal, state, and government).
What is the majority ethnic group within Texas? Why is their percentage of voting not match their percentage of population?
Latinos make up the largest ethnic group in Texas. However, they do not vote as much as their population percentage. This is due to many being under 18, not having the ability to vote due to immigration status, and being overlooked by political parties.
Beliefs about what the government should do and how is....
Political Ideology
Why do Mexicans celebrate their indpeendence on September 16th of every year?
This is the anniversary of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla's 1810 Grito de Dolores.
How did the passage of the federal Reconstruction Act of 1867 affect Texas?
It forced Texans to rewrite their constitution in accordance with Republican Reconstruction policies.
What kind of law allows a Texas legislature to pass a law that targets cities based on their population?
A. General
B. Home rule
C. Annexation
D. Population Bracket
Population bracket :
A legislative tool used in state statutes to apply laws specifically to cities or counties based on their population size, often defined by the most recent federal census. These "bracket bills" target, for example, cities with over 500,000 residents, ensuring rules only apply to specific municipalities.
What characteristics are associated with higher levels of civic participation in Texas?
Higher income, higher education, White non-Latino identity.
If politics were a baseball game, a constitution would be that game's _____.
A. Rule book, a collection of regulations outlining the game itself
B. Teams, the factions that contest the game
C. Outfield wall, which defines the outer reaches of the game
D. Field the geographic space where the game is played
Rule book, a collection of regulations outlining the game itself.
Which event contributed to the start of the Texas Revolution?
Santa Anna's centralization of power
What is an example of a civil liberty?
A. Right to vote
B. Equal employment opportunity
C. Right to non-discriminatory education
D. Right to remain silent in a police interrogation
Right to remain silent in a police interrogation
How is unemployment insurance an example of cooperative federalism?
What do you have to do in order to vote in Texas? Why does this lead to a low voter turn-out?
Voters must register 30 days before the election, must be a citizen, must be at least 18 years of age.
This process is inconvenient, many people are working and don't have time or they just aren't informed about election dates.
Measure of community involvement, participation, and connectedness is...
Civic health
Who were the Old Three Hundred?
The first three-hundred families Stephen F. Austin brought to Texas
Explain the difference between categorical grants and federal block grants.
Categorical grants are federal grants with a very specific purpose, states have very little discretion over how to spend the money. 90% of federal grants fall into this category, for example the Affordable Care Act passing in 2010 which contained a grant to states to fully fund their Medicaid expansion through 2016.
Federal block grants provide money for a program in a broad, general policy area. States and local governments have far more discretion on how to spend money from block grants, and they usually prefer this type of federal grant. An example is the TANF funds that went to the Department of Family Protective Services.
Explain the difference between mayor-council government and council-manager government.
What does Houston have? And is it weak or strong?
The mayor-council government is a form of municipal government with an elected mayor serving as chief executive of the city and an elected council serving as the legislative body. This can be either strong mayor-council or weak mayor-council.
The council-manager government is a form of government where the implementation of policies are overseen by the city manager; a professional public administrator appointed either by the city council or the mayor.
Houston has a strong mayor-council.
What does a liberal believe in versus what does a conservative believe in? (In a general aspect)
Liberals generally believe that the government should promote social and political change, equality should be prioritized.
Conservatives generally believe that traditional values should be preserved, government should be limited.
_____ has significantly blurred the lines between national and state policies and jurisdictions.
Devolution