Political Culture: The Six Constitutions In Texas History

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The political culture has influenced all six constitutions in Texas history. The very first constitution was conceived when Texas won their independence from Mexico in 1836. This constitution established a state Congress and presidency, much like the United States Constitution (Newell 43). This constitution allowed slavery, which was a point of opposition for the northern states. Because of this, Texas was not allowed in the Union until 1845, at which time it became the 28th state. The Constitution of 1845 was motivated by the democratic beliefs of President Jackson and called for the increase of governmental powers. This constitution reformed the nation of Texas into the state of Texas and changed the position of president into a governor. This constitution has been remembered as one of the best-written constitutions in history due its simplistic and straightforward outline of the law it detailed (“The Texas Constitution”). Texas succeeded from the Union in February of 1861 after Abraham Lincoln was elected to president, and drafted the Civil War Constitution of 1861, which shielded slavery and declared allegiance to the Confederate States of America. Shortly after the Civil War, Texas was invaded by federal troops and ordered to draft a new constitution in 1866 by President Johnson (Newell 44). The new Constitution that was …show more content…
This constitution was more modest in nature, as the people were tired of the extremist government and corruption of power. The constitution of 1876 limited the governor’s term to two years, fixed salaries of public officials and set a cap on the state debt ceiling. It also took away some of the power to appoint executives to government positions and limited the legislature to biennial sessions (Newell 45). This constitution has had 467 amendments and 16 articles, it has been changed so many times it is the second longest constitution in the nation (Newell