Damian Ramirez Dr. A. Ogundele March 17, 2014 Government 2306 SY1 Why the Texas state constitution was rewritten.…
The Texas Constitution has its similarities with the Constitution of the United States of America but the two Constitutions have their differences as well. The Texas Constitution has had over 450 amendments and has a weak central government. The State of Texas has a Governor, Secretary of State, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of General Land Office, Elected Boards and Commissions, Rail Road Commissioner, State Board of Education, Appointed Agency Directors and Appointed and Ex-Officio boards Commissions. Texas is the only state with a Commissioner of General Land Office. The only seat the Governor is allowed to elect is the Secretary of State. Every other chair is elected individually and must run their own campaign.…
The US Constitution was written well over 200 years ago. For these few centuries, it lead the advancement of US the Government organizations and has provided the basic requirements for political stability, freedom for each individual, and growth economically and socially. In the US Constitution, it has the framework for our government.…
The Constitution of the United States established a fundamental law that guaranteed basic rights for the people of America. The Constitution was ratified on September 17, 1787 in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. At the convention, delegates wanted to make a strong federal government that has three branches; executive, legislative, and judicial, and a check and balances so no branch would override the other. The creation of the Constitution ensured unity in the United States, but there were people who opposed this kind of government. Federalists were a group of people that believed the Constitution would strengthen the National Government. The federalists wanted a weaker state government and a stronger central government. Although the federalists and the antifederalists has some agreeable political thought they stand on totally different…
As the framework of our government, the Constitution guides the law of the United States. All other laws are guided by the Constitution in some way, shape, or form. Even though all of the states have their own individual Constitutions, the United States Constitution remains the strongest. The United States Constitution was created when the founding fathers were endeavoring a new way to run the country, bringing all thirteen states at the time together to discuss what should be the law of the land. Many properties of the federal government started then, and are still very relevant today. From creating the Presidency, the Congress, and the three branches of government, the Constitution set up some of the most important features of our government that are still in place today. Some additional properties…
The US Constitution is 7,000 words in length, while the Texas Constitution is 90,000 or more words. That is a 1,186 % increase in word length! That seems to be unnecessarily long for a state constitution. The ideas listed in the Texas Constitution mainly match up to the US constitution. For Example, the general principles like popular sovereignty, limited government, representative government, social contract theory, and the separation of powers. The major difference that I see is, the Texas Constitution amendment process is significantly easier than the US amendment process. This is a major factor as to why the Texas Constitution is as disorganized and long as it…
The Constitution is a legal binding document that explains how the government works. It creates presidency and congress as well as the Supreme Court. The United States has operated under two constitutions. On March 1, 1781 the Articles of confederation was in effect. On June 21, 1788 the Constitution came into effect. These two constitutions have a lot in common but, there are more differences then there are similarities if one looks at the details. The Constitution addressed the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation by allowing the government to take on certain powers. The delegates did not want the power to be controlled by one man. They did this so there would be little jeopardy of tyranny or dictatorship. The group decided to separate the government into branches of three, the judicial, executive, and legislative branch. The executive branch is controlled by the president. This allows the leader to carry out federal laws and also allows him to recommend new ones. The authority contains directing government, commanding the armed forces, acting as chief law enforcement, dealing with international powers, and vetoing laws. The judicial branch is controlled by the Supreme Court. Its authority allows the Supreme Court to review laws, interpret the Constitution, and decide cases involving states rights. Lastly, the legislative, controlled by Congress, which includes House of Representatives and the Senate, has the power to pass laws, originate spending bills, impeaching officials, and approving treaties.…
The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Texas. Texas has had 7 constitutions, and the current one is the 1876 constitution. The current 1876 Constitution is among the longest of state constitutions in the United States. There are 17 articles in the Texas Constitution, which starts with the Preamble.…
The first main strength of the U.S constitution is that it’s ability to adapt for changing America. The first ten amendments for example still are vital in American life as they ensure all Americans the basic rights such as free speech, freedom of religion and the right not be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. These are such vital rights which enable for a free society. Also many amendments are almost inviting for the federal government to interpret them. For example the 16th amendment which allows the federal government to collect income tax it doesn’t state how much income tax to collect and therefore it allows the federal government to decide for itself on what it thinks how much income tax to collect depending on the economic climate. This shows that the U.S constitution can adapt for changing economic times and state of the federal government. Also judicial review enables to federal government to be able to interpret the constitution best suited for that time. For example in 1972 the Supreme…
The state of Texas has had six constitutions. The constitution that took effect on February 15, 1876 is the current one still used today. The Texas Constitution is the second longest constitution in the United States, and one of the oldest still in effect. Since the constitution has been adopted it has been amended 439 times and consists of seventeen amendments.…
Texas, like most other states, has functioned under a series of Constitutions, each of which has contributed to the state's constitutional legacy. Each is appropriately understood from the perspective of the period in which it was adopted. The current Constitution was written in 1876 after the termination of Reconstruction policies. Because reconstruction policies were oppressive, the Constitution was designed to put strong restraints on government to guard against future abuses of power. Today, the document is so restrictive that many believe it is counterproductive. However, a rewrite of the Constitution has been elusive, due to special interests and others who believe that they benefit from the current system.…
“How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny?” When fifty-five delegates from eleven of the thirteen states met in Philadelphia in May of 1787 (four years after the Revolutionary War) for a Constitutional Convention, one of their biggest concerns was to establish a government that did not create any kind of tyranny. Tyranny is the abuse of power by one supreme ruler, like a dictator or king. Tyranny can also happen if a few people (such as several generals or religious leaders) seize control of something or if the majority denies a minority’s rights. The abuse of power can lead to the destruction of a whole country. For this reason, the Framers of the Constitution decided to create a new constitution to replace the existing Articles of Confederation. Under the Articles, there was no court system, no chief executive, and not even a way for the government to force a state to pay taxes, which made the government weak. The new constitution needed to be strong so that it could hold our nation together, and yet limit the authority of individual groups to prevent tyranny from happening. The framers decided to use the Constitution to guard against tyranny with four methods. These methods were giving states a more equal representation in Congress, Federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances.…
May 29, 2012 Introduction The Constitution contains seven articles; the first three articles established three branches of government, legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Each branch has a different function and holds power, but its power is restricted by another branch. America’s forefathers divided the government into three branches to maintain checks and balances. They did this to avoid the risk of dictatorship, tyranny, or single person or entity gaining control of the government. The fifth article allows for amendments or additions to the constitutions. It ensures the needs of the people are met and reflects the changing attitude of the nations. The methods to amend Constitution are two-third vote by the House and Senate and ratification by 38 of the 50 states. Protecting the right of the people and building a strong centralized government was the primary concern of the founding fathers. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention did not want the country returning to totalitarian system of authority like the one forced on the colonies by the British (usgovinfo.about.com). On September 17, 1787 thirty nine men signed the U. S. Constitution; the document explaining how our government would operate. These brilliant men drafted a manuscript crafting a democracy where government served the people not controls them. That prudence has made America one of the most powerful nations in the world and gave us a government that still endeavors today.…
The United States Constitution is one of the most significant documents in modern world history. Its official date of adoption was on the seventeenth of September in 1897. The Constitution itself represents the advent of democracy, justice and freedom in a once-was colony which thereafter gained its independence. It established three branches of government; the legislative branch, the judicial branch and the executive branch. Additionally, the Constitution outlined the relationship between the country’s citizens and the Federal government.…
The United States Constitution was created to be an outline for the American government by the founding fathers. However, it can be very complicated. On many occasions, it has influenced the United States as well as the society of America. Two constitutional principles are the Bill of Rights and Checks and Balances.…