Answer to Question 1
Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Note that Texas's first constitution was the Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, which was adopted in 1827. Texas was still part of Mexico, and this constitution recognized Texas as a Mexican state with Coahuila.
2. Note that the second constitution was the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas. This was enacted after Texas declared independence from Mexico. Under this constitution, Texas is an independent republic.
3. Note that the third constitution was enacted in 1845 when Texas was admitted to the Union.
4. Note that after the state seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy in 1861, Texans adopted the Civil War Constitution.
5. Note that the fifth constitution was the short-lived Constitution of 1866. This was the constitution under which Texas sought to be readmitted to the Union after the CivilWar and before the Radical Reconstructionists took control of the U.S. Congress.
6. The sixth constitution was the 1869 Reconstruction Constitution in which power was centralized in the state government, and local governments were significantly weakened. This reflected the preferences of the Radical Reconstructionists, not of most Texans.
7. The current constitution was adopted in 1876 at the end of Reconstruction. The Texas Constitution has since been amended nearly 500 times. This constitution is highly restrictive and antigovernment; it places strict limitationson the powers of the governor, the legislature, and other state officials.
8. Assess which of these constitutional systems produced the strongest governor. While answers will vary, it is clear that the Reconstruction Constitution produced a very powerful governor in Edmund Davis. It is equally clear that the governor's powers during the current constitution are fragmented and weak.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Explain that the constitution outlines the powers of and defines the limits imposed on state and local governments. The constitution also speaks to the relationship between the government and the economy.
2. Explain that a constitution should be brief and focused on general principles; it should not contain specific statutory language.
3. Explain that a constitution should grant authority to specific institutions, so as to increase the responsiveness and the accountability of officeholders.
4. Explain that constitutions should provide for orderly change but should not be written in such a restrictive fashion that they require continual amendments.
5. Note that the Texas Constitution has been amended hundreds of times, while the U.S. Constitution has been amended only 27 times.
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