Deck 2: The Texas Constitution and American Federalism

Question 1

Which of these Founders envisioned the most powerful national government?

A) Alexander Hamilton
B) Patrick Henry
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Benjamin Franklin

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In what year was the current Texas Constitution adopted?

A) 1836
B) 1861
C) 1876
D) 1901

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The revolution that established Mexico's independence lasted from?

A) 1790-1803
B) 1810-1821
C) 1826-1835
D) 1840-1851

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The Democrat who ousted E. J. Davis from the governor's office in the election of 1873 was?

A) Sam Houston
B) Mirabeau Lamar
C) A. J. Hamilton
D) Richard Coke

Question 5

Article I of the Texas Constitution deals with?

A) the Bill of Rights
B) the courts
C) the legislature
D) the executive

Question 6

The Sharpstown Scandal in 1972 dealt with trading financial favors for?

A) oil leases
B) changes in banking laws
C) gubernatorial appointments to the UT board
D) reducing pollution penalties

Question 7

Texas constitutional reform was pushed in the 1990s by all but which of the following legislators?

A) Tom Craddick
B) John Montfort
C) Rob Junell
D) Bill Ratliff

Question 8

How many constitutions has Texas had over its entire history?

A) 3
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7

Question 9

Who became president of the U.S. when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated?

A) Jefferson Davis
B) Andrew Jackson
C) Andrew Johnson
D) Ulysses S. Grant

Question 10

Which state has the longest and most frequently amended Constitution?

A) Texas
B) California
C) Illinois
D) Alabama

Question 11

Federalism is a form of government in which?

A) the national government directs state government activities
B) the state governments retain most power and the federal government deals with foreign policy
C) states are autonomous except in regard to civil rights
D) some powers are assigned to the national government, some to the states, and some are shared.

Question 12

Which of the Founders argued that the national government had narrowly limited powers?

A) Alexander Hamilton
B) George Washington
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Benjamin Franklin

Question 13

Which Texan served as Postmaster General of the Confederacy during the Civil War?

A) John Reagan
B) Pendleton Murrah
C) Mirabeau Lamar
D) Wilson Pickett

Question 14

All but which one of the following amendments were added to the U.S. Constitution to free and then protect former slaves?

A) 13^th
B) 14^th
C) 15^th
D) 16^th

Question 15

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution declares that the powers not granted to the national government are reserved to the states or their citizens?

A) 5^th
B) 7^th
C) 10^th
D) 14^th

Question 16

How long was the Texas president's term of office in the Republic of Texas Constitution of 1836?

A) 1 year
B) 2 years
C) 3 years
D) 4 years

Question 17

How many times has the Texas Constitution of 1876 been amended?

A) 811
B) 498
C) 319
D) 276

Question 18

Article I of the Texas Constitution deals with?

A) the Bill of Rights
B) the courts
C) the legislature
D) the executive

Question 19

Article III of the Texas Constitution deals with?

A) the Bill of Rights
B) the courts
C) the legislature
D) the executive

Question 20

What percentage of constitutional amendments voted on by Texas voters have passed?

A) 46%
B) 56%
C) 67%
D) 77%

Question 21

Which Texas governor opposed constitutional reform in the 1970s as likely to lead to an income tax?

A) John Connally
B) Preston Smith
C) Dolph Briscoe
D) Bill Clements

Question 22

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) interpreted what provision of the U.S. Constitution?

A) extradition clause
B) necessary and proper clause
C) supremacy clause
D) sovereign immunity clause

Question 23

Which Article of the U.S. Constitution deals with relations among the states?

A) 4^th
B) 6^th
C) 8^th
D) 9^th

Question 24

What was the main complaint against Edmund J. Davis as governor from 1869 to 1872?

A) power was too centralized
B) blacks were excluded from the legislature
C) Davis was too close to Jefferson Davis
D) refused to raise sufficient taxes

Question 25

The Texas Bill of Rights promises that?

A) no person shall be forced to work public lands
B) no person shall be outlawed
C) no person shall be forced to marry before 16
D) no person shall be taxed on their income

Question 26

Describe the role that constitutions play in democratic governments. How do they both organize power and protect rights?

Question 27

The Texas Constitution of 1876 was designed to achieve a number of political and social purposes. What were they and how do the provisions of the Constitution reflect those purposes?

Question 28

Describe the constitutional reforms that are most commonly recommended for Texas and which of them you think most important. Why?

Question 29

Describe the role of popular sovereignty in democratic government.

Question 30

The 11^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the "sovereign immunity" of the states. Define and discuss sovereign immunity of the states.

Question 31

Describe the key features of the Republic of Texas Constitution of 1836.

Question 32

What issues brought down constitutional reform in the 1970s?

Question 33

Describe the "full faith and credit" clause of Article IV of the U.S. Constitution.

Question 34

The Supreme Court used the case of McCulloch v. Maryland to interpret the
"necessary and proper" clause.

Question 35

The 14^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution approved female suffrage.

Question 36

The term used to describe the national government returning power to the states is extradition.

Question 37

The Texas Constitution of 1972 has been a model for other states.

Question 38

The Texas Constitution of 1845 allowed Hispanics to vote.

Question 39

________is the only state to have a unicameral legislature.

Question 40

An ________is when the national government orders the states to do something but does not supply the funding.

Question 41

________was the Republican Governor of Texas elected in 1869.

Question 42

The legal concept holding that local governments are creatures of state governments is
________

Question 43

________is a law prohibiting mandatory union membership.

Question 44

________are basic or fundamental law, superior to the everyday acts of government.

Question 45

The process of moving power from the national government back to the states is called
________