The Texas Constitution

1. The Texas Constitution signaled the return of democratic control of the government and, along with that control, a weak governor and a decentralized state government.
2. That philosophy is still the governing principle of the Texas Constitution, although it is debatable whether such a principle is appropriate in the diverse, urban state that Texas has become.
3. Texas is unusual in that its constitution is so lengthy and detailed that much policymaking must occur through the process of constitutional amendment rather than simply by lawmaking. If Texas were to have an income tax or to change its system for selecting judges, those changes would not come from statutes enacted by the legislature, but would have to be constitutional amendments

Texas constitution of presidential reconstruction feature changes by gaining control of the U.S. Congress. They insisted on more punitive measures and on removing the former Confederate leaders from state governmental positions.
13. The military governor of Texas, General Philip Sheridan, appointed E. M. Pease as provisional governor, and he called for the convening of a constitutional convention in Austin on April 1, 1868. Ninety delegates, ten of whom was African-American, and many of whom were carpetbaggers. They drafted a constitution that, according to two scholars, included provisions that present-day reformers would like to see in today’s document. These provisions included annual legislative sessions, the power for the governor to appoint other state officials, and greater power at the state level.
14. The type of legislature did Texas have while Edmund Davis was governor was the Texas legislature, which included two African-Americans in the Senate and nine in the House. The legislature enacted two bills dealing with lawlessness: a state police and state militia were created, both under the control of the

The convention assembled in Austin on the first Monday in September. Six were Democrats and fourteen were Republicans. The average age of the delegates was forty-five and seventy-two of the men were immigrants from other Southern states; nineteen were from Tennessee. Some historians say that five African-Americans served as Republican delegates. About one-third of the delegates had served in the Texas legislature; two had served in other states’ legislatures, three had national legislative experience and two delegates had served in the Congress of the Confederate States of America.
19. Many of the delegates were members of the Texas Grange, a second goal of the convention was to further the interests of the agrarian population.
20. The powers granted to the legislative branch along with their limitations were spelled out in great detail: being a member of the Texas legislature was not to be a highly sought-after profession. The executive branch provided for 7 officials, 6 of whom were to be elected by the people of the state, thus were independent of the governor. The governor was given the responsibility to execute the laws, but not the power to do so.
21. Responsibility for the education became decentralized because local control of education was a way for white landowners to avoid paying for the education of African- American