Lecture 1:  Texas Culture, People and History

Key Terms:

government; public goods;  politics; political participation;  public policy;  single-issue groups;  political system;  political issue;  linkage institutions;  policy impacts;  policy gridlock;  liberals; conservatives; mosaic; Republic of Texas;  Reconstruction; Progressive Era;  Balcones Escarpment; political culture
 

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A. The following concepts are introduced: government, politics, and public policy.

B. This lecture raises two fundamental questions about governing that will serve as themes for the year:
 

1. How should we, as Texans, be governed?
 
a. This lecture examines the workings of Texas state government and local governmental entities.

b. The lecture addresses the question of who holds power (the capacity to get people to do something they otherwise would not do), and who influences the policies adopted by government.
 

2. What should Texas, as opposed to the national, government do?
 
a. Does the State of Texas do what we want it to do?

b. Debates about the scope of government, both state and local, are among the most important in political life.

A. Government
 
1. Government, politics, and public policy are interrelated.

2. The way government makes decisions about public policies is through politics.

3. What is Government?
 

a. Government makes and enforces public policies. Government is that complex of offices, personnel, and processes by which a state is ruled, by which its public policies are made and enforced.  It is composed of institutions that have the authority to levy mandatory taxes, to allocate valuable services for a society, and to implement public policies.

b. Three key institutions make policy at the state level:
 

(1) Texas legislature (who create the law);

(2) Governor (and the Plural Executive, or bureaucracy, who implement or carry out the law);

(3) the Judiciary (who interpret and apply the law).
 

B. What governments do
 
1. Regardless of how they assumed power, all governments have certain functions in common.
 
a. Governments provide public goods — things that everyone can share, such as clean air.
 
(1) No one can be denied the use of a public good.

(2) Individuals have little incentive to provide public goods because no one can make a profit from them; thus, the task of providing things like public parks and pollution control is usually left to government.
 

b. Governments have police powers to provide order — state and local law enforcement agencies, Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission, etc.

c. Governments provide public services — such as schools and libraries (a justification for assessing taxes).

d. Governments socialize the young into the political culture — typically through practices such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in daily exercises at public schools, flying of flags, etc.

e. Governments collect taxes to pay for the services they provide.
 

C. Politics
 
1. Politics determines whom we select as governmental leaders and what policies they pursue.

2. Politics can best defined as "who gets what, when, and how."  It is the process of seeking or maintaining power.
 

D. Political involvement
 
1. Political participation refers to the ways in which people get involved in politics.
 
a. Voter turnout — often used to judge the health of a government
 
(1) The U.S. ranks low when judged by voter turnout, with one of the lowest turnout rates in the world.

(2) Low voter turnout has an effect on who holds political power.
 

b. Politics as a vocation — including those who hold political office
2. Single-issue groups — interest groups whose members will vote on a single issue, such as pro-life and pro-choice groups that ignore a politician's stand on everything except abortion.
 
a. Such groups are single-minded and uncompromising.

b. Many politicians feel that single-issue groups complicate efforts to find a middle ground on various issues.
 

E. Public policy
 
1. The end product of government and politics is public policy.
 
a. When people confront government officials with problems they expect them to solve, they are trying to influence the government's policy agenda.

b. Public policy is a choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda.
 

2. Public policies of a government are all those things a government decides to do or not do, i.e., all of the decisions and non-decisions of government. Examples: imposing  property taxes; school vouchers; parental notification laws.
 
a. Policy can be established if policymakers do nothing, as well as when they do something.

b. The government's first response to the AIDS crisis illustrates government inaction as public policy, even when the epidemic reached crisis levels.
 

3. A government's policy agenda changes regularly.
 
a. Public officials must pay attention to the problems that concern voters.

b. When voters go to the polls, they are partly looking at whether a candidate shares their views on the policy agenda.

A. A political system is a set of institutions and activities that link together government, politics, and public policy.

B. Political issues and linkage institutions
 

1. A political issue arises when people disagree about a problem or about a public policy choice.

2. In a democratic society, parties, elections, interest groups, and the media are key linkage institutions between the preferences of citizens and the government's policy agenda.
 

C. Making public policy: the policymaking institutions
 
1. Policymakers stand at the core of the political system.
 
a. The Texas Constitution establishes three policymaking institutions: The legislature, the governor and the judiciary.

b. As in the case of the national government, the power of the Texas bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists now consider it a fourth policymaking institution.
 

2. Working within the government's institutions, policymakers scan the issues on the policy agenda, select some for attention, and make policies concerning them.

3. Few policies are made by a single institution.
 

D. Policy impacts are the effects policy has on people and on society's problems.
 
1. Having a policy implies a goal: people who raise a policy issue usually want a policy that works.

2. Translating people's desires into public policy is crucial to the workings of democracy.

3. Does the diversity found in the State of Texas produce governmental gridlock?
 
a. Is a diverse array of interest groups in the State of Texas inevitable, given its geographical nature?

b. The decentralized nature of government allows one or a few such groups to block policy, thus creating policy gridlock and the inability of government to deal with important statewide problems such as education and health care.

E. Liberal and conservative views of the scope of government
 
1. Probably the most important issue that divides liberals and conservatives results from their differing views on the appropriate scope of government. Liberals support a more active role for government in most spheres, along with higher spending and more regulation.
 
a. Liberals generally favor:
 
(1) More governmental regulation of the economy

(2) More policies to help disadvantaged groups

(3) More policies to redistribute income
 

b.Conservatives generally favor:
 
(1) Fewer governmental regulations and a greater reliance on the market

(2) Fewer governmental policies in the name of disadvantaged groups

(3) Fewer tax laws that discourage business growth
 

c. However, there are areas where conservatives favor governmental action (such as using the power of government to restrict or prohibit abortions and to organize prayers in the public schools), and areas where liberals oppose governmental interference (such as governmental restrictions on individual freedom in non-economic matters).

A.  The study of Texas politics must begin with an understanding of the land and its people.  The State has become many things to many people.  Native Americans, Spaniards, Africans, French, Mexicans, German, Irish, Italians, Asians and others have come to call themselves "Texans."

B.  There cannot be one Texas society or one Texas culture. This state's society and its culture constitute a mosaic, a picture made up of many parts and fragments:

1.  Historical
 
a.  The Explorers
 
1)  When first Europeans arrived in the area now known as Texas, it was already occupied by numerous Native American groups.  Much of what is known about these groups is derived from reports made by early European explorers.
 
A) The first European to chronicle his adventures in Texas was a Spaniard, Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, who arrived in Texas (by way of Florida) in November 1528.  Cabeza de Vaca spent the next seven years wandering over a large portion of Texas and the American Southwest.

B)  Cabeza de Vaca's report of exploration prompted the Spanish to commission to systematically explore the area he had traveled and, in particular, to search for several "golden cities" that he claimed to have observed.  Exploration led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado.

C)  Early explorations were an economic disappointment, but they did establish for Spain an important territorial claim to Texas.  Prior to the 1820s, Texas was under the rule of Spain.
 

2)  The French
 
A)  Spanish neglect was met with a French expedition, led by La Salle, which landed on the Texas coast in 1684 and claimed the area for the king of France.

B)  The French "settlement" was short lived, lasting only three years, but it has long-term consequences.  The Spanish saw a need to reassert a more vigorous claim to Texas. Spain responded to France's incursion on Texas land by establishing missions in Texas.

C)  The Spanish made plans to establish a permanent presence in its northern provinces in order to deter future incursions by other European powers, an occupation that lasted 130 years.
 

b.  The Colonists
 
1)  The Hispanics
 
A)  Spain's early attempt to colonize Texas was to establish a mission system. The first Spanish missions to Texas proper were established in East Texas near present-day Nacogdoches.

B)  After several attempts over a period of years during the early 1700s, the first East Texas missions were largely abandoned.  The Spanish missions of South Texas continued to flourish.

C)  When the East Texas missions failed, the emphasis was placed on a ranchero system to encourage northern migration from Mexico. Even so, Texas was not populating at a satisfactory rate.

D)  On September 16, 1810, the Mexican people rose up in revolution against Spain.  After ten years of bloody fighting, Spain abandoned her colonial empire, giving birth to the Republic of Mexico.
 

2)  The Anglos
 
A)  The original agreement which brought Anglo settlers to Texas was granted to Moses Austin, father of Stephen F. Austin, by the Spanish.

B)  After his father's death, Stephen Austin confirmed this agreement with the new Mexican government and began issuing land grants.

C) The land grant to Stephen F. Austin was with the understanding that he would bring 300 American families into Texas and they would be “Mexicanized” or under Mexican authority. Between 1836 and 1845, about 30,000 people lived in the Texas areas.
 

a) In spite of the land grant understanding, Mexicans and Texas argue over numerous issues, primarily slavery. Mexico had previously abolished slavery in 1830 and specifically prohibited slavery in the disputed area of Texas.


b) The Mexican prohibition angered Texas, many of which immigrated from the lower South and were slave owners themselves.


D)  The early Texas Anglos came by the hundreds, producing additional with Mexico who did not trust the immigrants.

 
a)  In September 1835, fighting broke out between Anglo settlers and Mexican Calvary troops from San Antonio.  Within weeks, the Anglo colonists and their allies from the Hispanic communities (known as "Tejanos") were in active rebellion.

b)  By early 1836, Santa Ana responded to destroy the rebellion.  In April 1836, San Houston led a fight at San Jacinto (near present day Houston) and defeated and captured General Santa Ana. San Jacinto was the deciding battle of the Texas Revolution.
 

E)  After the defeat at San Jacinto, and the withdrawal of Mexican forces, Texas became its own nation.  The decision was prompted by the U.S. Government rejecting Texas, whose admission would have antagonized Mexico and upset the free state-slave state balance in Congress.
 
c.  The Texans
 
1)  The Republic.  The Republic of Texas lasted for almost ten years and was characterized by a growing population, and expanding frontier, and a deteriorating economy.

Republic of Texas — the independent nation created by Texans that existed for 10 years, from 1836 to 1846.  Its status as an independent country has contributed to (and continues to influence) an independent spirit in its politics. In addition, the period was marred by Indian wars and problems with Mexico. The Republic era was marked by a poor economy and the lack of social and political stability that led to increasing support for Texas to enter the Union in 1845. Nonetheless, the issue of slavery delayed the annexation of Texas.

2)  The Confederacy.  In 1861, Texas withdrew from the Union, along with other states and formed the Confederacy. This would greatly influence the political values of Texans for decades to come. Most Texans wanted to leave the Union, but a sizeable minority favored staying.

 
A)  The defeat of the South resulted in a new period for Texas called Reconstruction, considered by Texans as one of its darkest eras. Reconstruction is the post-Civil War period (1865 -1877) during which former Confederate states had restrictive laws applied to them by the federal government.

B)  During this time, the political forces backed Governor E. J. Davis who became the Republican governor, and helped strip Texans of political power and much economic wealth. Although much of the Reconstruction program was more progressive than oppressive, it was still greatly resented and was the main reason Texas became a solid Democrat Party state for more than one hundred years.

C) As governor, E.J. Davis raised taxes, mobilized the state militia, and simply managed to make many Texans hate him.
 

d.  The Americans. The population piece described as the Americans is looked at from two eras: (1) the frontier state and (2) the modern state.
 
1)  The Frontier State — Texas as the frontier state began to end in the early 1870s with the removal of the last of the Native Americans from the high plains. This would allow for easy settlement and economic development.
 
A)  Growing economic troubles and political dissatisfaction, chiefly among small farmers and shopkeepers, let to the election of Governor James Stephen Hogg in 1890. Governor James Hogg is best known for his progressive politics and for ushering in the beginning of the Progressive Era in Texas Politics. The Progressive Era was a period of time (1890-1910) during which Texas enacted numerous laws designed to protect ordinary citizens and to prevent their being taken advantage of by large monopolies such as the railroads. By 1900, Texas had more miles of railroad than any other state.

B)  Governor Hogg's administration pushed for establishing the Texas Railroad Commission to limit the power of that industry. Regulation of insurance companies and many other progressive objectives were also accomplished.
 

2)  The Modern State
 
A)  Texas was urbanizing and industrializing and much in turmoil as it moved into the twentieth century. The modern state era began as Texas moved into the 1900s. The discovery of oil in 1901 would bring revolutionary changes to the state.

B)  Fear of change prompted Texans to elect Jim Ferguson governor in 1914. He opposed education and industrialization as well as urbanization. His brash ways led him to become the only Texas governor to be impeached and removed from office in 1917. 

His wife, Miriam Amanda Ferguson ("Ma"), elected seven years later, was the first woman elected governor. In reality, it was her husband who actually governed Texas. She was elected twice. (There is a misconception that Miriam Ferguson was the first woman to hold a statewide elected office. The first woman to actually hold a statewide elected office was Annie Webb Blanton).

C)  The Depression of the 1930s hurt the Texas economy, which was still based on agriculture, but it also forced Texans to become more supportive of industrialization. The impact of economical scarcity produced increased racial tensions for Texas.

D)  Politically, Texas has been powerful in the national politics due to the seniority system of Congress and the rise of Texans like Sam Rayburn, and Lyndon Johnson (who as Vice-President succeeded John F. Kennedy after Kennedy's assassination in Dallas in 1963), George H. W. Bush and son George W. Bush, as well as local Congressman Sylvestre Reyes, who chairs the important Permanent Select House Committee on Intelligence.

E)  The Arab oil embargo of 1973-1974 produced a tripling of oil prices worldwide and an incredible revenue windfall for the State of Texas. A large portion of the state's revenue was generated directly or indirectly by petroleum, and as oil prices rose, so did the state's income.

F)  During the oil prices increases of the 1970s, Texas saw good economic times. Since then, Texas had gone through much change in the late 1970s and 1980s and today faces a significant economic crisis, largely as a result of 9/11. Domestic oil prices have gone down dramatically, up, and back down and will never be "king" again. Reliance on foreign oil has crippled the domestic energy industry. Texas today is hard put to finance its current programs, Texans are committed to no new taxes. Although the Texas legislature is expected to convene in January 2009 with a budget surplus, critical fiscal issues such as funding higher education and health care will dominate the biennial budget. 
 

2.  Geographical.  Texas is divided geographically by the Balcones Escarpment.  The Balcones Escarpment, a geologic fault zone several miles wide, runs roughly from Del Rio to San Antonio, then north through Austin to Waco, then north to the Red River.  Because of its vast size, the state was granted the right to divide into as many as five states by Congress in the annexation resolution.
 
a.  The Gulf Lowlands
 
1)  The Prairies and Lakes — This region is the home of the “Old Three Hundred,” as the first 300 families to colonize Texas under the leadership of Stephen F. Austin were called. It includes large urban areas, such as Houston, as well as numerous smaller suburban and rural areas. It is also the home of Washington-on-the-Brazos, the first capital of the Republic of Texas.

2)  The Piney Woods — the westernmost extension of the great pine forests that once spread across the entire South.  The Piney Woods, the center of Texas' timber industry, has long been an economic mainstay in East Texas, and since the 1930s, oil and gas production have been added to that equation.

3)  The Gulf Coast — The Gulf Coast is a nearly level, slowly-drained plain dissected by streams and rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Here you can find barrier islands along the coast and salt grass marshes surrounding bays. Cities such as Corpus Christi and Galveston are in the Gulf Coast region.

4)  The South Texas Plains — The primary fruit and vegetable growing area of Texas. The South Texas Prairie contains major centers for production of vegetable, fruit, and cotton crops, as a result of an extended growing season and modern irrigation techniques.
 

b.  The Western Highlands
 
1)  The Panhandle Plains — Most of the state's cash crops are grown in the High Plains, an area that produces more cotton and grain crops than any other region in Texas, all as a result of rich soils of the high plateau and irrigation.

2)  The Hill Country - "Hill Country" is a vernacular term applied to a region including all or part of twenty-five counties near the geographical center of Texas. In the geomorphological sense, the Hill Country represents in large part a dissected plateau surface. It is bordered on the east and south by the Balcones Escarpment, on the west by the relatively undissected Edwards Plateau, and on the north by rolling plains and prairies. 

3) The West Texas Basins and Ranges (Big Bend Country) — This huge area, lying west of the Pecos River, is the most sparsely populated, least developed area of the state.
 

3.  Economic
 
a.  The First Stage — Take It.    The economic pieces of Texas culture are described in three stages. The first stage is "Take It." This refers to the dependence on cattle, cash crops, and oil for the economic base.
 
1)  They came in the order given and are still an important part of the Texas economy today. Although each was at various times the economic "king," none of the three can be called the dominate economic factor today.

2)  The first fortunes in Texas came from cattle. Texas cattle became the boom market in the second half of the nineteenth century, attracting desperately needed investment capital from all over the United States as well as foreign countries.

3)  It was the discovery of the huge Spindletop oil field near Beaumont early in 1901 that signaled a new economic era for Texas.  At the time, the Spindletop oil field was the world's largest oil field.
 

b.  The Second Stage — Make It.    The second stage of Texas' economic development was manufacturing. This "Make It" stage refers to the growth of manufacturing, which by the 1930s, was becoming a more important part of the state economic picture.  Much of this industry was centered around petrochemical, steel production, and electronics manufacturing.

c.  The Third Stage — Serve It.    The third stage — "Serve It" — is the latest economic move in Texas. Service industries like entertainment, food service, health care, and computer services have become permanent economic activities, but they are, for the most part, using lower paid workers than the other stages.  The key to economic growth in these areas will lie in developing an educational infrastructure that can meet the demands of the twenty-first century.
 

4.  Demographic
 
a.  Population Size — Population growth, along with the decrease of population in New York, places Texas second in population among the fifty states. Texas' 2008 estimated population was 24,326,974, with a growth of 16.7% since the 2000 census.
 
1)  Population Growth — Unlike some states in the Northeast and Midwest, Texas has enjoyed continuous growth since the first federal census was taken in 1850.

2)  Population Distribution — Over 80 percent of the state's population resides in urban areas, and almost half of the population can be found in the seven urban counties.
 

b.  Population Diversity
 
1)  Anglo Texans — Currently, most Texans are Anglo, comprising approximately 56.4 % of the population. It is projected that Anglos will make up less than 50% of the population in 50 years.

2)  Hispanic Texans — An estimated 32 % of the state's population is Hispanic, and that is the result of a phenomenal 45 % grown rate over the course of the previous decade.

3)  African-American Texans — Black Texans represent an estimated 13% of the state's population (a percentage that is little changed from 1980).

4)  Other Texans — Asian-Americans are among the fast growing groups. In all, all other ethnic groups are projected to grown.

A.  Political Culture — Political culture is comprised of the attitudes and beliefs that shape an areas politics; often a product of various historical and social factors unique to that area.

1.  In general — The differences among the various states can best be explained in terms of variations in political culture, which takes into account the many factors that make a group of people distinctive in the way they talk, the way they act, and the way they approach politics.

2.  Individualistic

a. The notions of individualism, self-reliance, independence, limited government, and free enterprise are rooted in the individualistic political culture.

b.  Texas is the only state that was an independent nation.  The state's constitution reflects the general distrust of government held by the framers.  Legislators' salaries have generally been kept low and the governor's office is weak. Even the judicial system if fragmented.

c.  Looking at politicians as generally self-serving is a trait of political culture called individualistic.

3.  Traditionalistic

a. The traditionalistic political culture emphasizes maintaining the prevailing order and is extremely resistant to change.

b.  This political culture can be seen in Texans' reluctance to accept change of almost any kind.  Acceptance of elitism and long-term power structures is characteristic of a traditionalistic political culture.

4.  Moralistic

a.  The moralistic political culture derives its basic attitudes toward politics and, in a larger sense, toward society from the viewpoint that human cultures and communities are a commonwealth.

b.  The role of government under a moralistic political culture is one of activism and that of politics one of inclusion. This culture is usually open to new ideas and forms of public participation.

Center for Advanced Studies
GOVT 2306 — State and Local Government
Cathedral High School, El Paso, Texas
Last updated: January 2009