Identify and briefly describe the seven constitutions under which Texas has been governed. Which do you believe provided the governor with the most power? Defend your answer.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

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 was 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 Civil War 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 limitations on 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.