Texas Govt-Chapter 1 (Textbook) – Flashcards
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Political culture
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broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function and politics should operate; American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy
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Moralistic political cultures
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the belief that government should be active in promoting the public good and that citizens should participate in politics and civic activities to ensure that good; rooted in New England, where Puritans and other religious groups sought to create the Good Society
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Individualistic political cultures
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the belief that government should limit its role to providing order in society, so that citizens can pursue their economic self-interests; originated in the middle states, where Americans sought material wealth and personal freedom through commercial activities.
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Traditionalistic political culture
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the belief that government should be dominated by political elites and guided by tradition; initially in the South, reflecting the values of the slave plantation economy (pre-1865) and its successor, the Jim Crow era (1876-1965)
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Elite
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a small group of people that dominates the political process
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The Lone Star
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is the symbol of Texas and reflects its individualistic political culture.
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Provincialism
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a narrow, limited, and self-interested view of the world often associated with rural values and notions of limited government; result often was a self-interested view of the world and an intolerance of diversity
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Cornpone
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a hickish rural rejection of modern urban lifestyles
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The notorious "crop-lien" system
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was developed to extend credit to farmers in exchange for liens on their crops.
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The King Ranch
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The most famous ranch in Texas; 1,300 square miles, it is larger than the state of Rhode Island
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The Texas Railroad Commission
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In 1890, after considerable controversy fueled by Populist anti-railroad sentiment, a constitutional amendment was passed to create an agency to regulate the railroads
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North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
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trade treaty among the United States, Canada, and Mexico to lower and eliminate tariffs among the three countries; arguing that free trade would hurt U.S. workers and companies because of the cheap labor available in Mexico
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Impresarios
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an individual who promotes, organizes, or helps to finance a particular endeavor; i.e. Moses Austin and his son Stephen F. Austin
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Poll tax
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a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for voting; poll taxes were rendered unconstitutional in national elections by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment, and in state elections by the Supreme Court in 1966.
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La Raza Unida Party
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which sought to confront many of the discriminatory practices that isolated Texas Latinos page 23 from the political and economic mainstream.
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Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
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outlawed the segregation of public schools.
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Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
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guaranteed African Americans admission to Texas's graduate and professional schools
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Smith v. Allwright (1944)
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outlawed the white primary
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Barbara Jordan
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the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
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Urbanization
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the process by which people move from rural areas to cities
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Suburbanization
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is the process by which people move out of central city areas to surrounding suburban areas.
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Presidios
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garrisons
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Missions
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churches
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Pueblos
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towns
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Paso del Norte Bridge
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between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez is the busiest cross-border footpath between the United States and Mexico.
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Steinbeck:
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Texas is "a state of mind . . . a mystique closely approximating a religion"; his Travels with Charley
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Myths about Texans
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1.Cowboy image 2.Wildcatter who is willing to risk everything 3.Independent entrepreneur who fears the needless intrusion of government
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Texas politics today is dominated by
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the Republican Party
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Texas is
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the second-largest state and the second most populous
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Patterns in Texas politics indicate a
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"traditionalistic individualistic" political culture
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For over 100 years, Texas was dominated by the
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Democratic Party; but this pattern no longer holds
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Texas's political culture has also been defined by its longtime dominance by
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business interests
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Texas politics is shaped by the
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state's geography; most distinctive characteristic of Texas's geography is its size
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Sharecropping
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A system by which farmers would be lent land and equipment in exchange for part of the profits is known as
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Big Bend is found in what region of Texas?
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Basin and Range Province
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During the 1870s, people moved to Texas from the Deep South and Europe in order to farm
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Cotton
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During the 1980s, the Texas economy was negatively impacted by which of the following issue?
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declining oil prices, recession, bank failures
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In the late nineteenth century, Dallas was able to grow into a major city because of which industry?
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railroads
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In today's Texas, what percentage of Texans live on farms and ranches?
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less than 2 percent
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The Grange and Populist movements of the late nineteenth century were led by
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tenant farmers
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The Texas economy diversified in the 1980s and 1990s with the rapid growth of __________ enterprises in the Austin and Dallas areas.
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high-tech
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The __________ Commission expanded its original mission and began regulating oil and gas production in 1917.
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railroad
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The __________ sought to create a free-trade zone between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
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North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
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The concept of __________ emphasizes rural values and Jeffersonian notions of limited government.
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provincialism
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The term for periodic waves of transformation within the capitalist system caused by new technologies is
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creative destruction
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Which city is located in the Great Plains region of Texas?
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Lubbock
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Which new transportation system developed in the 1950s and 1960s fundamentally changed how Texans travel and where they live?
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Interstate Highway System
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Which of the following does NOT describe the traditionalist political culture?
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government is expected to promote the public good
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Which of the following factors contributed most to the increase in the population of Texas during 2006?
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a natural increase of births in proportion to deaths
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Who worked with the Spanish government to bring American settlers into Texas?
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Stephen F. Austin
