Chapter 3

Question 1

The Constitution Convention of 1974 was called in response to

Answer 1

a reform movement based on the bribery allegations against major politicians in the state.

Question 2

Who was elected to serve as governor of the state of Texas under the Constitution of 1869?

Answer 2

Edmund Davis

Question 3

The Constitution of 1836 differed from the Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas because it included constitutional protection for

Answer 3

slavery

Question 4

Article IV of the Texas Constitution provides for ________ executive.

Answer 4

a plural

Question 5

The Constitution of 1836 was written in response to the

Answer 5

Texas Declaration of Independence.

Question 6

The Texas Constitution provides for a state legislature with _____ members in the Senate and ____ members in the House.

Answer 6

31; 150

Question 7

Constitutional amendments in Texas are proposed by the legislature and approved by the

Answer 7

voters of the state.

Question 8

The first federal (or national) constitution that Texas operated under was actually the

Answer 8

Mexican Constitution.

Question 9

Texas adopted its third constitution in 1845 in response to

Answer 9

statehood (Becoming a state).

Question 10

In 1827, _______________ was established as the state religion and was supported by the state.

Answer 10

Catholicism

Question 11

It is the job of the _____________ to make recommendations for salary increases for members of the Texas legislature.

Answer 11

Texas Ethics Commission

Question 12

By 1860, there were over approximately ______________ slaves in Texas, accounting for more than 30 percent of the state’s population.

Answer 12

180,000

Question 13

A significant number of the delegates attending the convention that wrote the Constitution of 1876 were affiliated with the

Answer 13

Grange.

Question 14

The Constitution of _________ was drafted following Texas’s secession from the Union.

Answer 14

1861

Question 15

The framers of the Constitution of 1876, the constitution Texas still has today, drafted a document based on the principles of

Answer 15

popular control and limited government.

Question 16

The Constitution of ________ abolished slavery in Texas.

Answer 16

1866

Question 17

Under federalism

Answer 17

power is divided, but a constitution distributes power between a central government and regional governments

Question 18

The supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution

Answer 18

declares that the Constitution and laws passed by the national government are superior to all laws adopted by state governments.

Question 19

The Constitution of 1836, which established the government of the Republic of Texas, resembled the U.S. Constitution because it

Answer 19

was brief and flexible, and established a bicameral legislature and three branches of government.

Question 20

The Constitution of 1836 differed from the Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas because it included constitutional protection for

Answer 20

slavery

Question 21

Texas adopted its third constitution in 1845 in response to

Answer 21

statehood

Question 22

The Constitution of 1861 was written:

Answer 22

to guide Texas’s entry into the Confederate States of America

Question 23

A unique feature of the Constitution of 1869 was that

Answer 23

blacks were given the right to vote and Fourteenth Amendment guarantees of equality before the law was recognized

Question 24

The current Texas constitution was written

Answer 24

when Reconstruction ended in the 1870s. (1876)

Question 25

The Constitution of 1876 was a reaction to the Reconstruction Constitution of 1869 because

Answer 25

the 1869 constitution was seen as giving the governor too much power.

Question 26

Those who wrote the Constitution of 1876 wanted to return control of government to the people. By “the
people” they meant

Answer 26

all adult white male citizens of Texas.

Question 27

The present Texas constitution

Answer 27

severely limits the power of the governor and other state officials

Question 28

Article I of the Texas Constitution:

Answer 28

contains the Texas Bill of Rights.

Question 29

The Texas Bill of Rights

Answer 29

guarantees some rights not found in the U.S. Bill of Rights.

Question 30

The Texas Constitution requires that Texas judges

Answer 30

be elected by the people.

Question 31

The Texas Constitution features

Answer 31

a plural executive, in which power is fragmented because the election of statewide officeholders is independent of the governor.

Question 32

Under the Texas Constitution, impeachment is the formal charge:

Answer 32

brought by the House of Representatives that leads to trial in the Senate and possible removal of a state official.

Question 33

A new constitution for Texas

Answer 33

is unlikely to be ratified before 2014

Question 34

Which idea is contained in both the U.S. and Texas constitutions?

Answer 34

federalism

Question 35

Which clause of the U.S. Constitution 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?

Answer 35

the supremacy clause

Question 36

Why were the protections for slavery that were included in the Constitution of 1836 noteworthy?

Answer 36

They differed from provisions in the 1827 Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas.

Question 37

Upon Texas gaining statehood in 1845,

Answer 37

Texas drew up a new constitution, the third in effect for the state.

Question 38

Under the Texas Constitution, what part of the government holds the trial based on articles of impeachment?

Answer 38

the Senate

Question 39

Attempts to write a new constitution for Texas:

Answer 39

have been few and far between since 1876.