Book: Ch. 2. Quiz / Key terms / Essays Flashcards
Identify the main functions of state constitutions (pp. 41–42)
The state constitution is the governing document of the state much in the same way the U.S. Constitution sets up the framework for the nation as a whole. Many of the ideas found in the U.S. Constitution are also found in Texas’s constitutions, including republican government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and individual rights.
Define: constitution (p. 41)
the legal structure of a government, which establishes its power and authority as well as the limits on that power
Define: separation of powers (p. 41)
the division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making
Define: checks and balances (p. 41)
the constitutional idea that overlapping power is given to different branches of government to limit the concentration of power in any one branch
Define: tyranny (p. 41)
according to James Madison, the concentration of power in any one branch of government
Define: federalism (p. 42)
a system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between a central government and regional governments
Define: supremacy clause (p. 42)
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which states that the Constitution and laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision
Define: necessary and proper clause (p. 42)
Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution; it provides Congress with the authority to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its powers
- Which idea is contained in both the U.S. and Texas constitutions?
a) separation of powers
b) keynesianism
c) laissez-faire economics
d) Rebus sic stantibus
e) none of the above
a) separation of powers
- Which of the following is not an important function of a state constitution?
a) prevents the concentration of political power
b) delegates power to individuals and institutions
c) allows government to intrude in the lives of businesses and individuals
d) legitimizes political institutions
e) limits application of the U.S. Constitution
c) allows government to intrude in the lives of businesses and individuals
- Which part of the U.S. Constitution reserves power to the states?
a) Article I
b) Article VI
c) First Amendment
d) Tenth Amendment
e) nineteenth Amendment
d) Tenth Amendment
- Under the U.S. Constitution, the government of Texas is most limited by
a) Article IV of the U.S. Constitution.
b) the implied powers clause and the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
c) the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
d) All matter equally.
e) none matter.
a) Article IV of the U.S. Constitution.
Describe the six Texas constitutions that preceded the current constitution (pp. 43–53)
Texas has had seven constitutions reflecting the concerns of the historical periods in which they were written. The Civil War and Reconstruction played a major role in shaping Texans’ attitudes toward the dangers of strong state government.
Define: unicameral (p. 45)
comprising one body or house, as in a one-house legislature
Define: bicameral (p. 47)
having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses
Define: Confederacy (p. 52)
the Confederate States of America, those southern states that seceded from the United States in late 1860 and 1861 and argued that the power of the states was more important than the power of the central government
Define: Radical Republicans (p. 53)
a bloc of Republicans in the U.S. Congress who pushed through the adoption of black suffrage as well as
an extended period of military occupation of the South following the Civil War
- The Constitution of 1861
a) generally accepted the existing constitutional
framework.
b) guided Texas’s entry into the Confederate States of
America.
c) supported slavery.
d) defended states’ rights.
e) all of the above
e) all of the above
- A unique feature of the Constitution of 1869 was that
a) it explicitly rejected the power of the federal government in Texas.
b) fewer than 1 percent of voters opposed it.
c) it was less than four pages long.
d) it was never submitted to the voters.
e) it is considered the best of Texas’s constitutions.
d) it was never submitted to the voters.
Analyze the major provisions of the Texas Constitution today (pp. 55–62)
Today’s Texas Constitution is lengthy and includes over 400 amendments. It limits the power of state government and tries to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of one person.
Define: limited government (56)
a principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution
- A new Texas Constitution was written
a) when Reconstruction ended.
b) when the Compromise of 1850 was adopted.
c) at the start of World War I.
d) in 1999.
e) none of the above
a) when Reconstruction ended.
- The present Texas Constitution
a) is well organized and well written.
b) is considered to be one of the best of the 50 state
constitutions.
c) delegates a great deal of power to the governor.
d) severely limits the power of the governor and other
state officials.
e) all of the above
d) severely limits the power of the governor and other
state officials.
- The Constitution of 1876 was a reaction to the Reconstruction Constitution of 1869 because
a) the 1869 Constitution was too short.
b) the 1869 Constitution forbade slavery.
c) the 1869 Constitution increased state officials’ salaries.
d) the 1869 Constitution was seen as giving the governor too much power.
e) none of the above
d) the 1869 Constitution was seen as giving the governor too much power.
- When the framers of the Constitution of 1876 wrote of “the people,” they meant
a) all adult citizens of Texas.
b) all adult male citizens of Texas.
c) all adult white male citizens of Texas.
d) all citizens except carpetbaggers and scalawags.
e) none of the above
c) all adult white male citizens of Texas.
- Article 1 of the Texas Constitution
a) contains the Texas Bill of Rights.
b) renounces the use of the death penalty.
c) rejects the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
d) recognizes the supremacy of the national
government.
e) accepts the principle of rapprochement.
a) contains the Texas Bill of Rights.
- The Texas Bill of Rights
a) guarantees some rights not found in the U.S. Bill of
Rights.
b) duplicates the U.S. Bill of Rights.
c) is unusual, since state constitutions generally do
not have Bills of Rights.
d) guarantees gay marriage.
e) outlaws abortion.
a) guarantees some rights not found in the U.S. Bill of
Rights.
- The Texas Constitution requires that Texas judges
a) be appointed by the governor.
b) be a member of the Republican Party.
c) be senior lawyers.
d) be elected by the people.
e) cannot receive campaign contributions.
d) be elected by the people.
- A new constitution for Texas
a) is unlikely to be ratified before 2015.
b) is scheduled for a vote in 2014.
c) has a 50–50 chance of being ratified.
d) has a very small chance of being written and ratified.
e) none of the above
d) has a very small chance of being written and ratified.
- Voter turnout for constitutional amendment elections could be improved if
a) they were held at the same time as presidential
elections.
b) there were more voter awareness of the proposed
amendments.
c) the amendments involved significant issues for
voters.
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above
