When Texas entered the U.S in 1845, it was the largest state that we had at the time. It covered over 250,000 square miles, with various terrains and resources spread throughout its territory. Upon its entry into the U.S, Texas was granted by the Articles of Annexation the ability to divide into up to five individual states by congress, due to its vast size. While the division of Texas into separate states never occurred, it is interesting to see what the effect of the separation would have had on Texas and the U.S. At the time, there were people on both sides of the issue, representing the pros and cons of Texas’ separation into several states. At the time of Texas’ entry into the U.S, slavery was a big issue throughout America. The north …show more content…
This would throw off the balance in congress between free and slave states. I would argue that Texas’ division into smaller states ultimately would have given southern pro-slavery states more political power and possibly allowing the south to have the upper hand in the civil war. Today, we don’t have a slavery conflict, but we do have conflicts over Democrat and Republican control. Mark Stein talks about the Texas division states and concludes, “As likely as not, most of them would be Republican strongholds in our present-day demographics, adding mightily to the GOP’s Senate clout” (Stein). The separation of Texas would provide an imbalance to congress today, as it would have in the late 1800’s over slavery. Another argument against Texas being divided into multiple states would be its economic effect on the state. Texas as a whole, has a very diverse source of resources. Texas has rivers, lakes, ocean access, forests, plains, mountains, and deserts. Texas is also able to produce large amounts of oil, timber, crops, and livestock. If Texas were to be divided into separate …show more content…
By dividing up into separate states, certain cultural and political groups could have their voices heard more efficiently than they would with Texas as a single state. With Texas having a large Hispanic population, their voices often don’t get heard in the legislative process. With separate states, Hispanics would make up a larger percentage of each state’s population, and with South Texas currently predominately Hispanic, they would have a legitimate influence of politics. Authors Schmidt and Shelly back up this claim by stating, “It can also be argued that with five states, the political, ethnic, and historical diversity of Texas
1. What was the purpose of the Civil War for: The North/Union? Preserve the union, and then later on ending slavery. The South/Confederacy?
Texas Chooses Sides in the Civil War 1854, the tension between the slave and non slave states rises. The Kansas-Nebraska act has been passed. The balance of power has been tipped, for the two states were given a choice. They choose to be free, which completely repealed the Missouri Compromise. 1861, the election of 1860 has caused the states to secede. The south couldn’t stand it any longer, and neither could Texas so Texas is now the seventh state to secede knowing their will be many deaths among them.
The Texas Constitution was a product of the Reconstruction era, the tumultuous period that preceded the Civil War. The document reflects the fears and hopes of its framers. They were fearful of an oppressive state after living under the oppressive scrutiny of the Reconstruction Era. They hoped to prevent that from happening again by putting strong restraints on the government. Most of those restraints have followed Texas into the modern era.
The essence of federalism should not prevail over other organizations, and the Texas government has to become a distinctive defender of federalism. Organizations and schools should not be forced to submit to a directive from the federal government. Texas governor Abbott has become an individual defender of federalism. Under his administration, Texas turned into the eleventh state to pass a determination requiring tradition of states to diminish federal power. As for the spirit of the Texas Bill of Rights, it is up to the states to reestablish the adjustment of vitality amongst them and the federal government.
Texas’s Struggle for the South Texas seceded from the United States on March 2, 1861 so that they could protect, preserve and defend their beliefs. The Union was starting to deteriorate in 1820 when Missouri was admitted into the Union as a slave state, therefore creating the missouri Compromise. In the compromise it stated that to try and balance Missouri as a slave state they would admit Maine as a free state. Many find themselves wondering why Texas may have fought in the Civil War. Texas fought for the Confederacy because of love, states rights, and slavery.
Since the Texans did not like the way Mexico treated them, why would they want to promote slavery? No matter what year the constitutions were written in there is were no justification for slavery. It is ashame that individuals, local or higher government could lead Texans to believe that slavery was constitutional. On the other side, how could those Texans not realize that slavery was wrong?
He also shows how the three different societies fought for and constructed the groundwork for the current Lone Star State by connecting the relations and tensions of the three cultures and political entities between Mexico, Texas and the increasingly influential United States. All in all, Davis’s book accounts for all the minor and key circumstances that directed the path of Texas’s current history as well as the United States
The Northern constituents were gravely against re-annexing Texas, while southerners were totally supportive. The Southerners had more to gain with this war. With land expansion at their reach, the Southerners placed great emphasis on the expansion of slavery. This thought of mind or way of life, brought a big rift between the North and the South and left a long lasting discontent that ultimately led to the Inevitable conflict of the Civil War. Nerveless, after the Mexican-American war was done, President Polk and the American people were successfully able to acquire the coveted lands for the expansion of the United
Political system of Texas This course provided a deep understanding of the functioning of the American government in the course of development of the country. All information received was of intense interest to me, in particular, the Constitutions, of Texas, its political culture and the Texas Judicial Branch. Studying the history of these aspects provides a deep understanding of the whole political system of the state. There is no doubt that the Constitution of Texas in 1836 is a classic example of American constitutionalism. It reminds not only the content of the federal constitution but also the provisions of the constitutions of individual states of the United States.
Texas Political Culture There are multiple classifications for political cultures Moralistic political culture- ones believe that the government should promote the public good and in order to ensure that good the citizens should participate in politics and civic activities Individualistic political culture- ones believe that the government must limit their role when providing to society in order to make the citizens able to pursue their economic interests Traditionalistic political culture- ones believe that the government should controlled by political elites and must be guided by tradition. Changes in Texas
Have you ever wondered why the texans fought in the civil war? The texans fought in the civil war after they seceded from the United States and joined the confederate states. Why did the texans fight in the civil war? The texans wanted to protect/preserve slavery, their love for texas, and to protect their states rights. Why did the Texans want to protect/preserve slavery?
Briefly, in the evolution of the Texas political system, Texas’s history has been through many situations that shaped the political structure in Texas to become to what it is today. Many changes were responsible for the impact in the history of Texas such as the Texas revolution, the Alamo war with Mexico, military reconstruction act in 1867, etc. Before the war with Mexico, one of the most important impact in Texas history was the Republic of Texas Constitution in 1836. Texas and Mexico have an escalating tension and is responsible for the new change in the Texas state constitution. For the cause of the Republic of Texas Constitution in 1836, Texas begins by declaring its independence in 1836, established the Republic of Texas, and decided to adopt the new constitution.
Lots of people lived in and enjoyed Texas back in the 1800’s. Texans felt extremely loyal to Texas since it freed a lot of people after the Mexican War. However, it felt like the North was trying to take away some of their rights and privileges and Texans did not like that at all. Texas had previously fought for their independence and they did not want
The annexation of Texas occurred in the early 1800’s. American colonists were expanding into the Northern sector of the Rio Grande, which developed the need for Texas to become a part of the United States. In the South, the people supported the drive toward the annexation of Texas, but the Northerners opposed this idea. Texas was another slave state and the nature of their society did not appear appealing to the North.
These are just a few of the things that are the responsibilities of a citizen. Many people choose to exercise only a few of these actions. Texas is considered to be midpoint between the traditionalistic and individualistic political cultures. The states history with the slave-holding Confederacy tends to lean towards traditionalism, but its strong business orientation infuses its original culture with individualistic orientation (Pg.27). Texas has a reputation for its uniqueness and its residents are very loyal and patriotic towards the