Lia Ballard
Texas Government
Prof. Eck
Question 1 Constitutional government began in Texas under Mexican rule. During the Texas Revolution, delegates met for the Convention of 1836 to hastily draft a new constitution for the fledgling Republic of Texas. Faced with the threat of imminent Mexican attack, they incorporated large sections of the United States Constitution along with some Mexican law this constitution was put in place to survive the Mexican assault on Texas while still under Mexican control. This constitution was a compromise of the United States beliefs of freedom with Mexico’s ideals of having Texas land under its control instead of the United States’. The constitution was also a way to break away from Mexico while still technically under its government.
Nine years later, Texas was able to take more care when drafting its first state constitution because of the Mexican defeat. Adopted just before annexation, the Constitution of 1845 set forth Texas law in a simple and straightforward manner. Constitutional scholars consider it to have been one of the best state constitutions in the country at the time of state constitutions being birthed. In 1861, when Texas seceded from the Union, this constitution was amended to transfer Texas statehood from the United States of America to the Confederacy. After many years and many rewrites of the Constitution, the Constitution of 1876 was created and is still in place. A convention was called in 1875 after a failed attempt in 1874. The farmers were the ones to come up with strong contributions of the constitution because they wanted strong popular control of the government that they wanted created. They believed that the constitution should limit the government in what it can and cannot do. This constitution should focus on agricultural interests.
One such challenge to popular control though, it the