Politics, Government and Political Culturevanwigginton.tripod.com/polculture.pdfb. Politics can also...
Transcript of Politics, Government and Political Culturevanwigginton.tripod.com/polculture.pdfb. Politics can also...
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Part I
Politics, Government and Political Culture
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American Political Culture
I. Politics and Government–Some Basic Terms
A. What is Politics?
1. There are a number of ways to define the term “politics”
a. Harold Lasswell defined politics as the struggle over “who gets
what, when, and how”
b. Politics can also be defined as the authoritative allocation of values
and resources
c. Politics may also be viewed as the conflicts and struggle over the
leadership, structure, and policies of government
2. Closely related to the discussion of politics is the question of how political
decisions are made–by a small group of elites or competing groups
a. Elitism
(1) The influence of a single group of elites over the political
process and policy
(2) Described by C. Wright Mills in The Power Elite (1956),
which was an analysis of the concentration of power in the
hands of a small group of political, military and corporate
elites (See also Robert Putnam’s The Comparative Study of
Political Elites)
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b. Pluralism
(1) The pattern of struggles among numerous interests over the
political process and policy
(2) Described by Robert Dahl in Who Governs (1961), which
was an analysis of political decision-making in New Haven,
Connecticut
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3. Political Science
a. What is political science?
(1) The American Political Science Association defines
political science as the study of governments, public
policies, political processes, and political behavior
(2) Political science is generally concerned with three questions
(a) Who governs?
(b) For what means?
(c) By what means?
(3) Political science is also concerned with the question of the
perfect form of government
b. Why should we study political science or, in other words, why are
you required to take two semesters of political science?
(1) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sets as a
requirement for this course that you be able to
(a) Recognize and assume your responsibility as a
citizen in a democratic society
(b) Engage in public discourse about politics and public
policy
(c) To identify and understand differences and
commonalities within diverse cultures
(2) More importantly, studies have demonstrated that
individuals with a knowledge of the political system and
politics in general are
(a) More likely to participate in the political process
(b) Able to deal more effectively with government
institutions (i.e., the bureaucracy), and
(c) Fulfill one’s responsibility as a citizen
(3) Studies also show that political knowledge is limited
B. What is Government?
1. Government is the term generally used to describe the formal institutions
through which a land and its people are governed
a. Government is a human invention created to establish and enforce
rules and laws, protect property rights and/or redistribute wealth,
and create and maintain an infrastructure
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b. The United States Constitution provides that the new government
was being established to
(1) Establish Justice
(2) Insure Domestic Tranquility
(3) Provide for the Common Defense
(4) Promote the General Welfare, and
(5) Secure the Blessings of Liberty
2. How does government exercise it’s authority?
a. Max Weber defined government as that institution in society that
has a monopoly over the legitimate use of force
b. George Washington said that “Government is not reason, it is not
eloquence–it is force”
3. Government therefore must have authority and legitimacy
a. Authority is the power to enforce laws or require obedience to laws
and policies
b. Legitimacy refers to the widespread acceptance that the
government has the authority and right to rule
4. Max Weber describes three types of legitimate authority
a. Charismatic legitimacy is based on the personal power of the
political leader possibly due to supernatural attributes or power
(i.e., tribal chief or religious leader)
(1) King Arthur, the Lady of the Lake, and Excalibur
(2) The sword scene in The Illusionist in which only the
rightful heir to the throne could remove the sword
(3) The Golden Stool of the Asante floated from the sky and
landed in the lap of the first king of the Asante, Osei-Tutu
b. Traditional legitimacy is based on history, tradition or custom (i.e.,
a monarchy based on heredity)
c. Rational or legal legitimacy exists when the governments powers
are derived from established procedures, principles or laws (i.e., a
constitution and elections)
5. In summary, government is that organization extending to the whole
society that can legitimately use force to carry out its decisions
a. The creation of government is nothing more than a device to
allocate power as well as the resources of a society–the very
definition of politics
b. Government must be viewed as a formal structure through which
certain individuals are empowered to govern and others are
destined to be governed
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C. What are the Various Types of Government?
1. Governments can be very simple or very complex and we generally
describe them in three ways–by who governs, how they govern or by
political ideology
2. Governments can be defined by who governs (i.e, number or status) and
they may demonstrate elements of a number of types of government (i.e., a
theocratic monarchy)
a. Anarchy is the absence of government
b. Autocracy is government by a single individual
(1) King/Queen
(2) Dictator
(3) Emperor
(4) Caesar, Czar, Kaiser
c. Aristocracy/Oligarchy is government by a small group of elites
(1) Landowners
(2) Military officers
(3) Wealthy merchants
d. Corporatocracy is a government dominated by corporations
(1) Multinational corporations are believed by some to control
and dominate the political and military actions of political
institutions
(2) Many developing nations undertook significant loans from
international monetary organizations (i.e., International
Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and USAID) and are now
indebted to multinationals
e. Gerontocracy is a government by elders
f. Kleptocracy is a government that steals the national assets for
personal enrichment (literally a government by thieves)
(1) Zaire under Mobuto Sese Seko
(2) Indonesia under Suharto
(3) Philippines under Marcos
g. Krytocracy is a government by judges (i.e., U.S. Supreme Court)
h. Meritocracy is a government by individuals based on merit or
ability
i. Ochlocracy/Mobocracy is government by the mob/angry crowd
j. Plutocracy is a government by the wealthy
k. Theocracy is a government by religious leaders
(1) Islamic Republic if Iran
(2) Tibet in Exile
l. Theodemocracy is a government that blends democracy with
theocracy and is generally associate with Joseph Smith, the founder
of the Later Day Saints movement
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m. Democracy is government by the people (many if not all) and may
be either a direct democracy or a representative democracy (the
United States has elements of both)
(1) Direct democracy allows citizens to vote on laws and
policies rather than utilize elected representatives
(a) An initiative is a proposed law placed on the ballot
via citizen petition and approved by voters
(b) A referendum is a law that is proposed by a
legislature or city council but which does not go
into effect unless approved by a plurality of voters
(c) Constitutional Amendments as in Texas are
proposed by the legislature, but voter approved
(d) New England Town Hall meetings in which the
community votes on city ordinances (Note: Town
Hall meetings in Texas are really forums)
(e) Bond Issues are initiatives to finance public projects
such as schools or infrastructure improvements
(2) Representative democracy or republican forms of
government give citizens a regular opportunity to elect
government officials who act as their representatives
(a) National elections (Primaries, Runoffs and General
Elections for President and Congress)
(b) State elections (Primaries, Runoffs and General
Elections for Governor, Legislature, Judges)
(c) Local Elections (County, City, School Board)
(d) A recall election is an attempt to remove an official
from office before the completion of the term
i) Voters petition for a ballot measure to recall
an elected official (i.e., California recall of
Gray Davis and subsequent election of
Arnold Schwarzenegger)
ii) Differs from impeachment, which is a
quasi-legal procedure for removing an
elected or appointed official for misconduct
(i.e., Bill Clinton and Rod Blagojevich)
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3. Governments can also be characterized by how they govern as either a
totalitarian government or a constitutional government
a. Totalitarian governments and authoritarianism
(1) Totalitarian governments that are free from legal limits and
seek to eliminate those organized social groups that might
challenge or limit the government’s authority
(a) Totalitarian leaders come in several varieties: as
leaders of military coups, as appointees by military
juntas, as caudillos or nationalistic strongmen
(b) Totalitarian governments adopt an ideology that
controls all aspects of the lives of its citizens
(c) Totalitarian regimes often times use a single mass
party through which the people are mobilized
i) NAZI party
ii) Communist Party
(d) The citizens duty is to the state as the state attempts
to achieve a “perfect” society
(e) Totalitarian regimes value discipline, duty,
obedience, tradition and respect for authority as
social order supersedes individual rights
(2) The early 1900s witnessed a mass movement to totalitarian
regimes in Russia, Italy, Germany and Spain under either
communist or fascist governments
(a) The question is why a population would choose a
totalitarian regime instead of a democratic
government
(b) Nazi war criminals repeatedly testified that the their
participation in the Final Solution was simply a
function of carrying out orders
(c) Adorno, et al developed the F-Scale at the end of
WWII in an attempt to understand the psychology of
obedience to authority giving rise to the
“authoritarian personality”
(d) Studies were subsequently conducted in the United
States to establish that such behavior would not
occur in a democratic society
i) Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority
ii) Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison
Experiment
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(3) Totalitarian regimes in literature
(a) George Orwell’s 1984
i) A government that monitors every
movement of its citizens
a) “Big Brother is Watching You”
b) Two-way television surveillance and
informants everywhere including
children who proudly turn in their
parents for thought crimes
ii) The use (or misuse) of language to control
political discussion through Newspeak and
any contrary thinking is a “thought crime”
a) The three slogans of the party
1) War is Peace
2) Freedom is Slavery
3) Ignorance is Strength
b) Oceania’s Government
1) Ministry of Truth–news,
entertainment, education, and
fine arts (propaganda)
2) Ministry of Peace–defense
and conducts perpetual war
3) Ministry of Love–responsible
for law and order and the
punishment of dissidents
4) Ministry of Plenty–economic
planning and rationing
iii) The use of perpetual war and fear (but is
there really a war?) to unite the population
iv) The rewriting of history to glorify
government successes and erase government
failures or unpersons
(b) George Orwell’s Animal Farm
(c) Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451
(d) Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta
(e) Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth
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(4) Totalitarian governments have existed under both
communist and fascist regimes giving rise to the term
“totalitarian twins” by Fracois Furet, which is odd given the
political enmity between the two systems
(a) Communist Totalitarianism
i) Soviet Union (Stalin)
a) East Germany
b) Czechoslovakia
c) Yugoslavia
d) Poland
ii) China (Mao)
(b) Fascist Totalitarianism
i) Germany (Hitler)
ii) Italy (Mussolini)
iii) Spain (Franco)
iv) Argentina (Peron)
b. Constitutional governments are limited as to what they are
permitted to control (substantive limits) as well as how they go
about it (procedural limits)
(1) Only twenty or so of the worlds two hundred governments
can be called constitutional governments even though most,
if not all, countries have a constitution
(2) The masses were not consulted or integrated into the
political process before the 18th and 19th centuries and the
development of classical liberalism
4. Political ideology is another way to catagorize governments
a. Sometimes called the -isms, ideologies are generally viewed along
a left to right continuum, however this model does not account for
overlapping ideological views
Communism Social Democracy Liberalism Conservatism Fascism
b. More complicated models use two-dimensional and three-
dimensional space to account for differences in economic and
social ideological positions
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c. Political ideologies are comprehensive set of beliefs and values
about the role of government in society
(1) Communism
(a) A socioeconomic system based on a classless
society in which a central party controls and
operates the means of production on behalf of the
masses
i) Karl Marx argued that capitalism is unjust
and flawed thereby results in economic
hardship for the masses
ii) As a result, capitalism would be replaced
(through revolution or elections) with
collective ownership of the means of
production operated by the state on behalf of
the masses
iii) According to Marx, only under communism
would there be equality of wealth that would
insure true freedom
(b) Variants include Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism
i) Lenin argued for revolution and a strong
state to counter a capitalist counterrevolution
a) Soviet Union became model of
revolution in 1917
b) Revolution was to be exported
throughout the world
ii) Stalin seized power following the death of
Lenin and consolidated power in the state
a) Stalin believed the strong state was
necessary as long as the Soviet
Union was encircled by capitalism
b) Stalin established a totalitarian state
in the name of communism
iii) Mao led the Communist Revolution in
China that established the People’s Republic
of China, the second of the communist
superpowers of the modern era
(c) Cuba under Castro may be the last of the Marxist-
Leninist states
(d) Hugo Chavez of Venezuela may espouse a socialist
doctrine, but he appears to be more a nationalist (or
Bolivarian) although he is seeming more dictatorial
recently (read The Autumn of the Patriarch by
Gabriel García Márquez)
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(2) Social Democracy/Democratic Socialism (Socialism)
(a) Combines elements of democracy with collective
ownership of the means of production
(b) Advocates the same goals of communism but
achieved through peaceful means and democratic
procedures (i.e., political parties and elections)
(c) In the modern era, Social Democrats have
abandoned the notion of abolishing capitalism and
focused on nationalizing key aspects of the
economy
(d) Some success in Germany, Sweden, Britain (Labour
Party) in the creation of what some refer to as the
Modern Welfare State
(3) Classical Liberalism (Capitalism) of the 17th-18th Century
(a) Basic principles:
i) Individual liberty and freedom,
ii) The right to private property,
iii) Equality under the law, and
iv) The principle of a limited government
(b) Classical liberalism gave rise to the establishment of
constitutional governments
(c) John Locke, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill are
the viewed as the leading classical liberals
(4) Conservatism of the 18th Century
(a) Defended the status quo from attacks by classical
liberals and resisted social change
(b) Edmund Burke was leading Conservative as he
witnessed the horrors of the French Revolution
(5) Fascism (Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy)
(a) Promoted nationalism above the individual
(b) Generally based on some heroic mythology
i) Teutonic Knights
ii) Operas of Richard Wagner
(c) Opposed the spread of communism and a classless
state, which led to purges of communists in
Germany and Italy
(d) Established a highly structured society that stressed
the importance of order and obedience to authority
(e) Attempted to remedy the failure of liberal
democracy and capitalism following WWI under the
Weimar Republic through the establishment of a
corporative state–government control of a capitalist
state–that undermined unions and communism
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II. The Evolution of Government From the State of Nature to Classical Liberalism
A. The State of Nature
1. Once upon a time man lived in the state of nature–an existence without
laws and government–and absolute freedom
2. Philosophers have attempted to understand the quality of life in the state of
nature as a means to explain why government was created
a. Thomas Hobbes wrote in Leviathan (1651) that
(1) “Hereby, it is manifest, that during the time men live
without a common power to keep them in awe, they are in a
condition which is called war; and such a war, as is of every
man against every man”
(2) In the state of nature man could and would do anything to
survive and as a result life would be “solitary, poor, nasty,
brutish, and short"
b. John Locke wrote in his Two Treatises on Government (1689) that
(1) “To understand political power right, and derive it from its
original, we must consider, what state all men are naturally
in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their
actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as
they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature,
without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any
man”
(2) However, the uncertainty associated with the state of nature
deprived man of the ability to develop socially or
economically
3. State of Nature in Literature–William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954)
a. A plane crash deposits school boys on a deserted island (the state
of nature) where there are no adults, no rules and no government
b. The boys unite and create a civil society, without which fear and
anarchy would exist
c. Ralph establishes the power of the conch shell
d. Jack agrees “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all
we’re not savages. We’re English.”
e. However, conflict erupts over the type of “government” that should
exist for the “security” and well-being of the society
f. A power struggle ensues
(1) Ralph and democracy versus Jack and totalitarianism
(2) Fear of the “beast” leads the group to gravitate to Jack and
the formation of a more militant and hostile society
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B. From the State of Nature to Civil Society
1. Obviously, the fear and uncertainty that dominated existence in the state of
nature required the formation of civil society–an agreement to give up
absolute freedom for greater security and order (and greater freedom)
a. Thomas Hobbes
(1) “A commonwealth (civil society) is said to be instituted,
when a multitude of men do agree and covenant, every one,
with every one, that to whatsoever man, or assembly of
men, shall be given by the major part, the right to represent
the person of them all, that is to say, to be their
representative
(2) Every one, as well he that voted for it, as he that voted
against it, shall authorize all the actions and judgments, of
that man, or assembly of men, in the same manner, as if
they were his own, to the end, to live peaceably amongst
themselves, and be protected against other men”
b. John Locke
(1) “Men being, as has been said, by nature, all free, equal, and
independent, no one can be put out of this estate, and
subjected to the political power of another, without his own
consent
(2) The only way whereby any one divests himself of his
natural liberty, and puts on the bonds of civil society, is by
agreeing with other men to join and unite into a community
for their comfortable, safe and peaceable living
(3) When men have so consented to make one community or
government, they ... make one body politic, where the
majority have a right to act and conclude the rest”
2. Around 50,000 years ago, humans made the “great leap forward” during
the upper paleolithic revolution
3. Man began living in civil societies or communities somewhere around
12,000 B.C. (neolithic period) with the formation of villages and
agricultural based communities beginning around 10,000 to 9000 B.C.
4. The First Political Systems
a. Families were the first civil society
(1) Robert Filmer in Patriarcha (1680) wrote that the first
kings were the fathers of their families
(2) Filmer was laying the argument for the divine right of
kings, that would later be challenged by John Locke
b. Clans were extended family units consisting of a number of
households who claim descent from a common ancestor
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c. Pre-Industrial Political Systems
(1) Uncentralized
(a) Tribe is of questionable value as a grouping term
(b) Bands are small ranging from 25 to 150 individuals
grouped by nuclear families and unity is based on
custom or tradition
(2) Centralized
(a) Chiefdoms with tribal chiefs or kings holding power
as a result of heredity (i.e., authority passed down
from father to son) or they were warrior kings
(Alpha Males/King of the Mountain)
(b) States are large complex societies with a highly
structured society, occupational specialization, a
full-time bureaucracy, and an established “legal
system” (Pre-colonial Zulu, Aztec, Inca)
i) Cities with laws, commerce, art and
literature–begin to form around 4000-3000
B.C.
ii) Social structure begins to develop: nobles,
priests, free commoners, and slaves
iii) Armies were created to defend or expand
one’s control of fertile lands or commercial
resources
d. The Age of Kingdoms and Empires
(1) First Dynasty of Ur (2600-2500 B.C.)
(2) Akkadian Empire (2370-2215 B.C.)
(3) Sumerian Empire (2100-2000 B.C.)
(a) King claimed to rule by divine right
(b) Destroyed by local revolts and invasions from Iran
(4) Old Babylonian Empire (2000-1530 B.C.) destroyed by
invaders from Iran
(5) Egypt’s Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.)
(6) Egypt’s New Kingdom (1560-1070 B.C.)
(a) Began a policy of aggressive imperialism
(b) Destroyed by invasions from the sea and economic
collapse
(c) Subsequently ruled by Libyans, Assyrians, Persians,
Greeks, and Romans
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(7) Hebrew Kingdom (1020 B.C.)
(a) About 1020 B.C., the priest Samuel names Saul as
nation’s first King
(b) King David creates a unified Hebrew kingdom
(1000-960 B.C.) (recall the story of Goliath)
(c) Under King Solomon (960-922 B.C.) Israel reaches
its political zenith
(d) Israel splits into two kingdoms in 922 B.C.
(e) Assyrian Empire (745 B.C.)
(f) Armies were recruited from throughout the empire
i) Trained into professional units and led by
seasoned generals
ii) Skillfully combined foot soldiers,
charioteers, cavalrymen, and siege engineers
(g) Empire collapsed under the weight of weak leaders
and the rage of its subject peoples
(8) Neo-Babylonian Empire (612 B.C.) overwhelmed by Persia
(9) Persian Empire (549 B.C.)
(a) Unified the entire Near East under one government
(b) Required subjects to pay taxes and provide troops
for the imperial army
(c) King ruled with the assistance of council of nobles
and provincial governors
(d) Defeated by the Greeks under Alexander the Great
(10) The Greek Empire (330 B.C.)
(a) Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta
(b) Greek Political Philosophers
i) Socrates (469-399 B.C.)
ii) Plato (427-347 B.C.)
iii) Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
(c) Alexander the Great’s empire stretched from Egypt
in the West and India in the East (336-323 B.C.)
(d) Alexander the Great’s Empire collapsed following
his death at the age of 32
(11) The Roman Republic and Empire (100 B.C. to 400 A.D.)
(a) Julius Caesar expanded the area under Rome’s
control to include most of Western Europe, the
Mediterranean, and North Africa
(b) Brought down by Germanic tribes and Huns
(c) Europe divided into a number of smaller kingdoms
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(12) Charlemagne’s Empire (768-814)
(a) Included most of Western Europe
(b) Charlemagne’s death led to division of Europe
between the heirs of his son and invaders from the
North, East and South (Vikings, Magyars or
Hungarians, and Muslims)
C. From the Unification of England to the Birth of Classical Liberalism
1. The Age of Feudalism (1000-1400)
a. Alfred the Great (871-899) began unifying England and by the
mid-900s, England was ruled by one king
b. In 1066, a dispute arose over the heir to the crown upon King
Edward the Confessors death
(1) Harold was elected by the lords or witan, but William of
Normandy claimed he had been promised the crown by his
cousin Edward the Confessor
(2) William crossed the English Channel with his army and
met Harold at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066
(3) As depicted in the Bayeaux Tapestry, Harold was shot in
the eye by an arrow securing William the Conquerors
victory and control of the crown
(4) William inherited a well established political and legal
tradition, but brought with him the institution of feudalism
and continued the centralization of the English political
system
c. Feudalism was the contractual system of political and military
relationships existing among members of the nobility in Western
Europe during the High Middle Ages
(1) Characterized by the granting of fiefs or feuds (land) in
return for political and military services
(2) Assumption was that all the land was owned by the
sovereign prince (i.e., king) who “held it of no one but
God”
(a) Prince would grant fiefs to his barons, who pledged
military and political support
(b) Barons would make grants to Knights who swore
their military support
(c) Knights would make grants to those who would
serve them by providing food and service
(3) This was essentially an early pyramid scheme
(4) Feudalism began to decline in the 14th Century and was
abolished in England by statute in 1660
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2. The Magna Carta, “Constitutional Monarchy,” and absolutism
a. An uprising of English barons in 1215 led to the signing of the
Magna Carta or the “Great Charter” by King John in which the
King had to “consult” with the barons who could exercise a veto
and is considered the beginning of the “constitutional monarchy”
(1) This baronial royal council evolved into the House of Lords
(2) Under Edward I’s reign (1272-1307) the Parliament
included barons, shire knights, and townspeople with the
shire knights and the townspeople eventually splitting off
and forming the House of Commons
(3) By the 14 Century the House of Commons began to gainth
power over the financial resources of realm and the king
had to request funds from the House of Commons
(4) This resulted in a political system with three heads–the
monarchy, the aristocracy, and the people–and obviously
conflict was inevitable
b. Kings invoke absolutism to regain power (1576-1649)
(1) Absolutism seems to be a response to the growth of limits
on the state and the monarchs by representative assemblies
(2) Rulers gradually consolidated control over feudal vassals
through such means as marriage or conquest, thereby
establishing larger territorial units (the nation-state)
(3) Eventually, these territorial units would build upon a sense
of nationalism to unite the population under one ruler
(a) Nationalism is the identification with a group of
individuals based on a shared sense of loyalty and
psychological attachment based on a common
language, history, culture and a desire for political
independence
(b) The Monarchs could use this growing nationalism
to mobilize armies and the citizens for defense of
the realm
(4) Monarchs drew their power from God or in other words as
a matter of Divine Right
(a) The church looked on rulers as divinely ordained
and by its anointment gave them sacred character
(b) James I (1603-1625) invoked God’s authority
i) “Kings were the breathing images of God
upon Earth”
ii) “Kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon
earth, and sit upon God’s throne, but even by
God himself they are called Gods”
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(c) Jean Bodin’s Six Books on the Commonweal (1576)
and Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan (1651) supported
absolutism as necessary to prevent civil war or a
return to the state of nature
3. Economic growth and regicide give birth to Classical Liberalism
a. The economy continued to expand during the Crusades(11th-13th
Centuries, the Renaissance (14th-17th Centuries), the Age of
Discovery (15th-16th Centuries), the Reformation (16th-17th
Centuries), and the Commercial Revolution (16th-18th Centuries)
b. Mercantilism, which is the belief that nations compete in a zero-
sum game for wealth thereby promoting exports and limiting
imports, emerged as dominant economic trend
(1) Reached the highest level of acceptance in England in the
1600s
(2) Promoted internal economic development through
acquisition of raw materials from colonies and domestic
manufacturing and industry
c. Mercantilism would serve as a precursor to capitalism and the
development of a new economic social class, the bourgeoisie
d. The bourgeoisie became the key force behind the imposition of
limits on government power as they achieved economic and
political power in Parliament–giving birth to classical liberalism
e. Resulting in a conflict between the monarchy and the bourgeoisie,
although there may have also been religious underpinnings
f. The political showdown occurred when King Charles I of England
challenged the authority of the British Parliament resulting in his
beheading for treason and other “high crimes”
g. Followed by the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, the Restoration,
the Glorious Revolution and the British Bill of Rights of 1689
h. John Locke (1632-1704) in his Second Treatise on Government
(1690) provided the basic political philosophy of classical
liberalism that led to a demand for limited government and
justified regicide or revolution
(1) Man is born with the God given inalienable rights of life,
liberty and property, which are natural rights that existed
before government and cannot be denied by government
(2) People form a government to protect the rights of life,
liberty and property through a contract between the
governed and those who govern (social contract theory)
(3) Government could only properly function with the consent
of the governed through their representatives
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(4) If the government acts improperly (becomes tyrannical) and
denies the inalienable rights
(a) It would have broken its contract with the governed,
(b) It would no longer be a legitimate government, and
(c) The people would have the right to revolt and form
a new government to protect their inalienable rights
i. Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations (1776) made a frontal attack
on mercantilism by suggesting that the economy would function
best if the state played a highly limited role and that there was a
natural order of liberty applicable to the economy
(1) Private enterprise is the most efficient form of production
(2) Government must protect economic freedoms
(3) Considered the foundation of free market economics or
capitalism (laissez-faire economics)
j. Together, these values (classical liberalism) were carried to the
colonies and found their way into the Declaration of Independence
(1776) and the United States Constitution (1787)
III. Who Are Some Notable Influences on American Political Thought?
A. The Greeks
1. Thucydides (460-400 B.C.) and The Peloponnesian War
a. Pericles’ funeral oration for fallen Athenian soldiers describes
Athens in the following way
(1) Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring
states, we are rather a pattern to others than imitators
ourselves
(2) Its administration favors the many instead of the few
(3) If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all
(4) If a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the
obscurity of his condition
2. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
a. Socrates (470-399 B.C.)
b. Plato (428-347 B.C.) Republic
c. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Politics
(1) Governments come in six types with the former concerned
with the good of the state and the latter concerned with
individual interest
(a) Monarchy----Tyranny
(b) Aristocracy----Oligarchy
(c) Polity----Democracy
(2) A citizen is one who has the right to participate in the
administration of justice and the holding of office
(3) Government should be of laws not of men
20
B. The Medieval and Renaissance Period
1. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) The Treatise on Law
a. Establishes a positive role for government in a world of sinners
b. The purpose of law is the ordering of the public good
c. Law must concern itself with the happiness of the community
2. Machiavelli (1469-1527) The Prince
a. Every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel
b. However, a prince must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty
for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and peaceful; for,
with very few examples, he will be more merciful than those who,
from excess of tenderness, allow disorders to arise, from whence
spring bloodshed and plunder; for these as a rule injure the whole
community; while the executions carried out by the prince injure
only individuals
c. One ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the
two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one
of the two has to be wanting
d. However, a prince should make himself feared in such a way that if
he does not gain love, he at any rate avoids being hated . . . .
e. When the prince is obliged to take the life of another, let him do so
where there is proper justification and manifest reason for it,
f. But above all the prince must avoid taking the property of others,
for men forget more easily the death of their father than the loss of
their estate
C. The Protestant Reformation
1. Martin Luther (1483-1546)
a. Initiator of the Protestant Reformation after he became
disenchanted with Roman control of the Catholic Church
b. Nails Ninety-Five Theses on Indulgences on the door of the Castle
Church serving as the catalyst to the Reformation
c. Martin Luther calls for national control over the church and
ultimately challenges Church authority over the individual
d. Translates the Bible into German thus democratizing religion
e. Writings spark the debate over individual liberty, which incites the
Peasant’s War in 1524
2. John Calvin (1509-1564)
a. The Church and state ought to be structurally independent
b. Calvin accepted capitalism and encouraged trade and production,
stressed thrift, industry, sobriety and responsibility as stimuli to
industrialization
21
c. Calvin’s influence can be seen in the writings of John Knox, the
leaders of the civil war period of England, the Puritans in the
American Colonies, and in Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and
the Spirit of Capitalism
(1) “Montesquieu says of the English that they ‘had progressed
the fartherest of all peoples of the world in three important
things: in piety, in commerce, and in freedom.’
(2) “Is it not possible that their commercial superiority and
their adaptation to free political institutions are connected
in some way with that record of piety which Montesquieu
ascribes to them?”
3. John Knox (1505-1572)
a. John Knox in his “Faithful Admonition” pamphlet of 1554 urges
the righteous overthrow of “ungodly” monarchs
b. Boldly asserts that it was the citizens duty to correct and repress
whatever a King does contrary to God’s word, honor, and glory
c. Knox’s struggle with the monarchy (Mary Queen of Scots)
eventually led to Presbyterianism becoming the official religion of
Scotland stressing individualism over princely authority
d. Influential in the Scottish Reformation that gave rise to the Scottish
Enlightenment giving us Adam Smith and David Hume
D. Absolutistism, the Scottish Enlightenment, and Classical Liberalism
1. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) Leviathan
a. Written during the English Civil War
b. Civil society is created by social contract and calls for an absolute
sovereign to “keep men in awe” and avoid the madness that was
occurring in England at the time
c. Social contract would be void if the established government failed
to protect its citizens who would then revert to state of nature until
a new social contract is established
2. John Locke (1632-1704) The Two Treatises on Government
3. David Hume (1711-1776)
a. Prominent scholar of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th
Century and is viewed as the first modern conservative
b. Society is best governed by a general and impartial system of laws
c. Offers arguments in support of both monarchies and republics
d. Advocate of a free press and argues for political moderation to
avoid the disastrous effects of party divisions
e. The purpose of government is to maintain justice and to that end
we invent the duty of obedience
f. Free governments degenerate because of excessive debts and taxes
g. Republics fail because factions lead to division and civil war
22
4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) The Social Contract
a. “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains”
b. The state of nature lacked law or morality and through the social
contract individuals form civil society thus preserving themselves
and their freedom
c. Laws enacted based upon the general will of the population who
would then obey the laws they enacted
5. Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) On the Spirit of Laws
a. May have been the most cited by the founding fathers during the
constitutional period
b. Advocated the separation of powers
(1) “When the legislative and executive powers are united in
the same person or in the same body of magistrates, there
can be no liberty”
(2) “Again there is no liberty if the power of judging be not
separated from the legislative and executive powers”
6. Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) Commentaries on the Laws of
England
a. An American Edition published in Philadelphia sold out in its first
printing in 1771
b. Established the legal foundation for colonial actions by defining
the rights of Englishmen under the British Constitution
(1) The primary object of law is to maintain and regulate the
absolute rights of individuals
(2) Absolute rights are those such as would belong to man in a
state of nature
(3) These natural rights include life and liberty, and which no
human legislature may abridge or destroy, unless the owner
himself shall commit some act that amounts to forfeiture
c. Also heavily cited during the constitutional period
d. A relief portrait of Blackstone hangs in the U.S. House of
Representatives
7. Adam Smith (1723-1790) The Wealth of Nations
a. A laissez-faire (limited government) economy
b. An individual when driven by self-interest promotes his own well-
being and as if led by an “invisible hand” also benefits society
c. Smith did not argue for no government role in the economy in that
he supported government enforcement of contracts, patents and
copyrights and the development of public works projects
d. In other words there is a role for government in promoting
economic development
23
E. American Political Writers
1. Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Independence and Notes on Virginia
2. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay Federalist Papers
3. John C. Calhoun (1782-1850), the South Carolinian Senator and Vice-
President and author of A Disquisition on Government gives us the
doctrines of State’s Rights, Nullification and Secession
a. The Constitution of the United States is, in fact, a compact, to
which each State is a party
b. The states have a right to judge the infractions; and in case of a
deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of power not
delegated . . . they have the right to interpose for the purpose of
arresting the progress of evil
c. This right of interposition ...be it called what it may–states rights,
veto, nullification–I conceive to be the fundamental principle of
our system...on its recognition depends the stability of our political
institutions
d. That a State, as a party to the constitutional compact, has the right
to secede—acting in the same capacity in which it ratified the
constitution—cannot, with any show of reason, be denied
F. Modern Political Thought
1. John S. Mill (1806-1873) On Liberty
a. On Liberty sets forth the strongest argument for freedom of thought
and expression and the development of individuality
b. The people either through themselves or their government have no
right to silence expression
(1) “If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only
one person was of the contrary opinion, mankind would be
no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he
had the power, would be in silencing mankind
(2) “If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity
of exchanging error for truth
(3) “If wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the
clearer perception and livelier impression of truth produced
by its collision with error
(4) “An individual is not accountable to society for his actions
in so far as these concern the interests of no person but
himself
(5) “For such actions that are prejudicial to the interests of
others, the individual is accountable, and may be subjected
either to social or to legal punishment”
24
2. Karl Marx (1818-1883) Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto
a. Marx in Manifesto calls for a workers revolution to overthrow the
chains of capitalism
(1) “Modern industry has converted the little workshop of the
patriarchal master into the great factory of the industrial
capitalist.
(2) “Masses of laborer, crowded into the factory, are organized
like soldiers
(3) “Not only are they the slaves of the bourgeois class, and of
the bourgeois state; they are daily and hourly enslaved by
the machine, by the overseer, and, above all by the
industrial bourgeois manufacturer himself
(4) “Working Men of All Countries, Unite!”
b. Property and the means for production are owned by the state
c. Citizens are expected to work for the good of the community
d. Goods produced are owned by the state and are distributed to the
citizens by the government
e. Influenced American writers such as Upton Sinclair (The Jungle)
Edward Bellamy (Looking Backward) and Jack London (The Iron
Heel), union organizer Mother Jones of the IWW (Wobblies), and
presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs
3. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Civil Disobedience
a. Thoreau opposed slavery and the Mexican-American War
b. Argued that we should not let government overrule or atrophy our
conscience
c. Citizens have a duty to avoid allowing acquiescence to enable the
government to carry out injustices in their name
d. To that end, Thoreau refused to pay accrued poll taxes and was
subsequently jailed although he was quickly released after his aunt
paid the six years of back taxes
4. Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) and civil disobedience
a. Political and spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement
b. Advocated resistence to evil through non-violent civil disobedience
(1) “Non-violence in its dynamic condition means conscious
suffering
(2) “It does not mean meek submission to the will of the evil
doer, but it means putting of one’s whole soul against the
will of the tyrant.
(3) “Working under this law of our beings, it is possible for a
single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust
empire
(4) “We must be content to die, if we can not live as free men
and women”
25
5. Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) The Origins of Totalitarianism and Eichmann
in Jerusalem
a. Born into a secular Jewish family in Germnay
b. In Origins, Arendt traces the development of totalitarianism in
Europe that culminates in the atrocities of Nazi Germany and the
Soviet Uniton
c. In Eichmann, Arendt was covering the trial for the New Yorker
(1) Depicts a bureaucrat carrying out his orders rather than a
monster capable of the unthinkable
(2) Symptomatic of the “banality of evil” which means the
tendency of ordinary people to obey orders and conform to
mass opinion without critically thinking about the results or
morality of their action or inaction
(3) This view suggests that the acts carried out by the Nazi
government are not limited to the Third Reich
(4) Arendt was criticized for rationalizing Nazi atrocities and
her discussion of Jewish participation in the Holocaust
6. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) Letter from Birmingham Jail
a. Baptist minister and leader of the Civil Rights Movement
b. Advocated civil disobedience despite criticism from white
ministers who thought change should be achieved through the
courts
(1) We have an obligation to obey just laws
(2) We have a moral duty to disobey unjust laws
(3) And with that duty comes the requirement that one submit
to punishment for violating the law
7. Ayn Rand (1905-1982) The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged attacks the
“utopian” belief in the collective and stresses the merits of capitalism and
self-interest and in doing so challenges Marxist thought
a. “Do not make the mistake of thinking that a worker is a slave and
that he holds his job by his employers permission. He does not
hold it by permission, but by contract. A worker can quit his job, a
slave cannot”
b. “Intellectual freedom cannot exist without political freedom;
political freedom cannot exist without economic freedom. A free
mind and a free market are corollaries”
c. “Every movement that seeks to enslave a country, every
dictatorship or potential dictatorship, needs some minority group as
a scapegoat which it can blame for the nations troubles and use as a
justification for its own demand for dictatorial powers. In Soviet
Russia, the scapegoat was the bourgeoisie; in Nazi Germany it was
the Jewish people; in America, it is the businessmen”
26
8. John Rawls (1921-2002) A Theory of Justice and Justice as Fairness
a. Noted for his contribution to liberal political philosophy and his
attack on utilitarianism, which argues that what is good is that
which yields the greatest utility
(1) Rawls notes that slavery would be acceptable under
utilitarianism because it “benefits” society as a whole
(2) Utilitarians argue that Rawls ignores the unrealistic level of
benefits necessary to outweigh the harm done to those
enslaved
b. Greatest contribution is his doctrines of original intent, the veil of
ignorance, and the two principles of justice
(1) Rawls belongs to the social contract tradition, but believes
that a just social contract is one made if we do not know
where in society we will ultimately fall–the original
position
(2) In Rawls’ original position the representatives of citizens
are placed behind the veil of ignorance, which deprives the
representatives of knowledge regarding the characteristics
of those they represent (skills, talents, abilities, race,
gender, education, etc.)
(3) Accordingly, the representatives would adopt a maximin
rule that provides the maximum outcome for those in the
worst condition (in case the representatives find themselves
in this worse case scenario)
(4) Rawls argues that the two principles of justice would be
adopted by the representatives to avoid risk
(a) Liberty Principle: guarantees a set of basic liberties
that can be provided equally to everyone
(b) Difference Principle: guarantees a system that
minimizes social and economic inequalities for the
least well-off group and inequalities are only
justified if the inequality provides a benefit for
society
c. Identifies five social systems in which the first three violate the
principles of justice and only the last two have mechanisms
capable of ensuring the two principles justice
(1) Laissez-Faire Capitalism
(2) Welfare-State Capitalism
(3) State Socialism
(4) Property-Owning Democracy
(5) Democratic Socialism
27
IV. What Do Americans Think About Government?
A. What is the Proper Role of Government?
1. Since our nations founding, Americans have seen the need for a strong
national government, but feared that a government with too much power
would become tyrannical
a. Constitutional Debates
(1) Federalists believed that a powerful and active national
government was necessary to promote commerce, prevent
political strife, and protect the country’s international
interests
(2) Anti-Federalists feared that such a government would also
have the power to oppress its citizens and therefore it was
better to forego the potential benefits of a powerful
government to minimize the loss of freedoms associated a
strong government
b. Early Party Period
(1) Hamilton’s Federalists advocated a strong central
government
(2) Jefferson’s Democratic Republicans argued for a weaker
and decentralized government with strict constitutional
limits
(3) States Rights Democrats (i.e., John Calhoun) opposition to
federal intervention to end slavery
(4) Lincoln’s Republican Party and the abolition of slavery and
the preservation of the national union
c. Contemporary Political Debate
(1) Contemporary Democrats/Liberals assert the need for a
powerful and active national government to promote social
and economic equality, to protect the poor, children, the
elderly, and the environment
(2) Contemporary Republicans/Conservatives argue that many
national programs and policies should be eliminated or
turned over to the states (i.e., welfare reform) while the
national government promotes national security through a
strong defense and restores morality and family values
2. In summary, Americans generally support the concept of a limited
government but in times of crisis we develop a siege mentality and
demand even more government regulation of human behavior resulting in
less freedom
28
B. Do We Trust Our Government?
1. Trust in government has be declining since the 1960s
a. From 1960 to 1964, approximately 75% of Americans stated they
trusted government most of the time or just about always
b. Trust in government fell from 1964 reaching a low of 25% in 1980
c. Trust increased slightly in the early 1980s under Reagan but began
falling again in the wake of Iran-Contra rising
d. Once again during the economic prosperity of the Clinton
presidency even during the impeachment period
e. Rose again after 9/11 (rally effect), but has begun to fall as the
debate over the war intensifies and economic concerns highten
f. However, trust in government is still approximately 25% over the
past decade (Note: Job Approval Ratings of both the president and
Congress have also been on the decline)
2. American distrust of government may be result of the following concerns
a. Government has grown too big,
b. Dissatisfaction with government performance,
c. A lack of a sense of political efficacy, and
d. Government scandals
29
3. These concerns appear to be justified on all four points
a. Governments at every level have increased in size and scope
(1) The size of the federal government was limited in size,
scope and influence until approximately 1929 with power
residing primarily in the states
(2) The stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and
the run on banks in 1933 led to demands for increased
federal intervention
(3) Today, the federal government has influence on every
aspect of American society
(4) Americans cannot escape the power of modern government
(local, state or federal) nor do they necessarily want to
b. The public is dissatisfied with government performance
(1) Government spending at the federal level, which exceed $3
trillion, has not solved some of the more pressing problems
facing the nation
(a) Poverty
(b) Environment
(c) Health Care
(d) Infrastructure (New Orleans Levees)
(2) Furthermore, the media is often skeptical of government
programs and are often highlighting government waste
(3) The declining national economy may have led to declining
levels of trust and satisfaction
c. There has also been a decline in a sense of political efficacy
(1) The belief that citizens can affect what government does
has been declining
(a) Americans (66%) do not believe that government
officials do not care what the people think
(b) Americans (76%) believe that government is run by
a few big interests looking out for their own
interests
(2) Young Americans (72%) believe that they have something
important to say but that no one listens
30
d. Out government has done a lot of bad things to a lot of people
(1) The war/genocide against Native Americans from
colonization through the end of 1800s, the program of
assimilation, and the nature of the reservation system
account for Native American distrust
(2) Slavery and Jim Crow/segregation, the assassination of
Martin Luther King, Jr., etc. certainly accounts for African
American distrust
(a) The Tuskegee Experiments (1932-1972) gave
validity to the belief that the government could
engage in sinister activities against unsuspecting
groups in American society
i) 600 subjects (who were sharecroppers from
Macon County, Alabama) were recruited
ii) Offered free treatment for “Bad Blood”
iii) 250 of the subjects were denied treatment
even after they attempted to enlist to serve in
WWII and were ordered to be treated
iv) Many were left untreated for syphilis even
though penicillin was in widespread use by
1946
v) 28 died from syphilis, 100 died early due to
syphilis related problems, 40 of their wives
had been infected, and 19 of their children
were born with congenital syphilis
vi) Bill Clinton formally apologized in 1997
with five of the eight surviving patients
present at the White House
(b) CIA Crack Conspiracy Theory
(c) Racial Profiling
(3) The conquest of the American Southwest, discrimination,
and the issue of immigration from Latin America accounts
for Hispanic distrust of the government (Elian Gonzalez)
(4) Asian Americans were faced with denial of citizenship,
internment camps, discrimination, and violence
(5) Stay up late one night and listen as callers to radio talk
shows discuss Waco and the Branch Davidians, Ruby
Ridge, and the Oklahoma City Bombing and you will
discover that whites also distrust the government
31
4. What is the possible impact of a declining trust in government?
a. Public may refuse to comply with governmental policies because
they no longer recognize the legitimacy of government authority
(1) Refuse to pay taxes
(2) Refuse to obey the law
b. National security could be jeopardized as foreign leaders take
actions because they do not believe we have the “will” to respond
(1) USSR invasion of Afghanistan
(2) Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait
c. A revolution leading to the overthrow/collapse of the United States
(1) The Race Riots of the 1960s and the Kerner Commission
(a) 1965 Watts Riots, 1967 12 Street (Detroit Riots),th
and the 1967 Newark Riots raised concerns about
the beginning of a revolution in the inner cities
(b) The Kerner Commission warned that we were
“becoming two societies, one white and one black,
separate and unequal” and noted changes were
necessary to prevent continued unrest
(2) The Oklahoma City Bombing and militia groups
32
The Political Culture of Texas
I. Texas Political Culture
A. Political Culture in Texas
1. Texas culture stresses individualism and conservatism
a. Government to maintain stable society but intervene as little as
possible in lives of the people
b. Support personal politics, distrust political parties
2. Texas political culture influenced by historical and current factors
a. Southern Conservatism
b. Old West Individualism
c. Hispanic Culture
d. Northern Migration
e. Immigration
f. Urbanization
B. Historical Influences on Texas Politics
1. From Republic to State
a. Texas voters approved annexation in 1836 after gaining
independence from Mexico
b. However, the slavery issue delayed admission as a state until 1845
c. The Articles of Admission granted Texas unique rights
(1) Texas retained ownership of its public lands under the
articles of annexation
(a) Federal government refused to accept land in
exchange for accepting $10 million in debt accrued
by the state
(b) Some of this land was eventually sold, but millions
of acres were kept and generated millions of dollars
in revenue from the production of oil and gas
i) Permanent University Fund
ii) Permanent School Fund
(2) Texas retained the right to subdivide into as many as four
additional states, which was designed to maintain the
balance of slave and non-slave states
d. Early Statehood and Secession
(1) Sam Houston, who was pro Unionist and opposed the
secessionist movement, resigned from the U.S. Senate and
ran for Governor in an attempt to head of secession
(2) Upon Lincoln’s election in 1860, a secessionist convention
voted to leave the Union
33
(3) The Texas Legislature upheld the convention vote
(4) Houston refused to accept Lincoln’s offer of federal
military assistance
(5) Texas was admitted to the Confederate States of America
2. Reconstruction
a. Radical Republicans “reform” Texas
(1) Lee surrendered at Appomattox
(2) Anarchy existed in Texas until federal troops occupied the
state on June 19, 1865, which is known as Emancipation
Day in Texas
(3) Radical Republicans in Washington were alarmed by the
political actions taken by Southerners towards blacks after
the end of the Civil War
(4) In response, Congress established Reconstruction
governments throughout the South, including Texas
(5) Texas placed under military rule from 1865 to 1869
(6) Republican E. J. Davis elected governor in 1869
(a) Radical Republican
(b) Fought for the Union during Civil War
(c) Corruption and debt undermined administration
b. The End of Reconstruction
(1) Former Confederates were allowed to vote again in 1873
(2) Democrat Richard Coke elected as governor in 1874, but a
Republican Texas Supreme Court invalidated the election
(3) Davis refused to leave the state capitol and requested
federal military support from President U. S. Grant
(4) Texas legislators covertly entered the legislative chambers
and validated the election
(5) Davis continued to refuse to abandon the capitol and only
after Texas was on the brink of violence did Davis
withdraw and turn over the government to Coke
(6) Democrats rewrote the state constitution in a convention
dominated by members of the Grange
(7) The legacy of Reconstruction was an all white dominate
Democratic Party and a small predominately African
American Republican Party
3. Progressives and Populists: Texas Politics between 1886 and 1945
a. The Era of Governor James Stephen Hogg
(1) Political support from small East Texas farmers
(2) Reform candidate and voice of the common man
(3) Nominated by the Democratic Party despite opposition
from the business interests
(4) Established the Texas Railroad Commission
34
(5) Texas led the nation in political reform and regulation of
the special interests and established Texas as one of the
most progressive states
(a) Trusts and monopolies
(b) Railroads
(c) Insurance companies
(d) Child labor
(e) Prisons
(f) Taxes
b. The Era of James E. Ferguson (Farmer Jim or Pa)
(1) Worked as a migrant farmer
(2) Admitted to the Texas Bar after studying for only a few
months in 1897
(3) Established himself as businessman and president of
Temple State Bank
(4) Elected governor in 1914 as a farmer and progressive
(5) Texas legislature enacted much of Pa’s legislative agenda
(a) Assistance to tenant farmers
(b) Public schools and rural education
(c) College education
(6) Reelected in 1916 amidst rumors of financial irregularities
in part due to support for his progressive agenda
(7) Downfall came over a dispute involving the University of
Texas
(a) Pa issued a line item veto of funds appropriated to
the University of Texas in the state budget
(b) UT Board of Regents refused to dismiss professors
that Pa found objectionable
(c) Note that many of the state legislature and power
brokers in the state were UT alumni
(d) Pa indicted in Travis County for illegal use of
public funds
(e) Articles of Impeachment issued by the Texas House
(called itself back into session)
(f) Texas Senate voted convict despite Pa’s attempt to
resign before the final vote
(g) Eventually found guilty of “bribery” and other
money related charges
(8) Pa was succeeded by W. P. Hobby, Sr.
35
4. World War I and the Return of Pa Ferguson
a. An economic boom during WWI turned attention to social issues
(1) Prohibition dominated the national political landscape and
divided Texas
(2) Women’s Suffrage gained strength and Texas was one of
the first states to ratify the 19 Amendmentth
(3) Education issues were also important
(a) Free textbooks for public schools
(b) Establishment of new colleges
(c) Establishment of the Texas park system
(4) Ku Klux Klan began to exert political power
b. Miriam “Ma” Ferguson ran for governor in 1924
(1) Wife of James “Pa” Ferguson
(2) Anti-Klan
(3) Platform was “Two Governors for the Price of One”
(4) Pushed through legislation that made it illegal to wear a
mask in public thus criminalizing the Klan
(5) Caught up in a number of scandals including questionable
pardon and a highway funding scandal
c. In 1928, the Democrats nominated Al Smith for president
(1) Smith was Catholic, a “wet,” and a big-city candidate
(2) Texas voted Republican for the first time since the Civil
War in voting for Herbert Hoover
(3) Hoover was a protestant, a “dry,” and an international
humanitarian having worked on relief projects after WWI
5. The Great Depression and WWII
a. Texas suffered as did most states with the stock market crashed
(1) New oil fields in East Texas led to overproduction and a
drop in price to 10 cents a barrel ($1 a barrel today)
(2) Major oil companies owned the refineries and refused to
buy from the independents
(3) Governor Ross Sterling closed the East Texas field
(4) Sterling declared martial law and the Texas Railroad
Commission was eventually given authority to control
production of oil
b. Ma Ferguson: The Sequel
(1) Ma was reelected in 1932 on government reform platform
(2) Prohibition ended in 1933 and the Texas Alcoholic and
Beverage Commission was born
36
c. W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel
(1) Flour salesman and host of a radio program featuring
hillbilly music (i.e., Garison Keiler’s Prairie Home
Companion or the movie O Brother Where Art Thou)
(2) With the campaign slogan “Pass the Biscuits, Pappy” he
toured the state in a bus with his Light Crust Doughboys
(3) Pappy ran on a platform of the Ten Commandments, the
Golden Rule, and Old-Age Pensions
(4) Pappy had never held office and never paid the poll tax
because he believed no politician was worth $1.75
(5) Successful more as a character than as a politician
6. The Rise of Texas Nationally: Texas Politics After World War II
a. Governor Allan Shivers
(1) Along with Attorney General Price Daniel led the fight for
Texas to control ten miles into the Gulf of Mexico rather
the three miles the U.S. government claimed
(2) President Eisenhower became the Republican nominee and
he was sympathetic to Texas’ position on the Tidelands
Issue
(a) Conservative Texas Democrats supported
Eisenhower with the slogan “Texas for Texans”
urged a split ticket vote (Shivercrats)
(b) Liberal Democrats led by Ralph Yarborough urged
a straight ticket Democrat vote
(3) Texas voted Eisenhower instead of Stevenson and Texas
Democrats would remain split until Reagan in 1980
(4) Shriver and Daniel dominated politics for a number of
years despite numerous scandals
(5) Lobbyists use of the “three Bs” became standard operating
practice (booze, beefsteak, and broads)
b. Lyndon Johnson and the rise to national prominence
(1) Served in the U.S. House and Senate (Majority Leader)
(2) Vice-President under John F. Kennedy and President upon
assassination (reelected in his own right in 1964)
c. John B. Connally served as Secretary of the Navy under John F.
Kennedy and governor in 1962
d. Preston Smith
e. Dolph Briscoe
f. Bill Clements was first Republican governor since Reconstruction
g. Mark White
h. Ann Richards was the second woman governor and last Democrat
i. George W. Bush was the second Republican since Reconstruction
j. Rick Perry succeeded George W. Bush as Republican governor
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II. The Politics of Geography
A. The Land
1. Texas is the second largest state in geographic size, second only to Alaska
2. Public land in Texas is owned by the State of Texas
3. Texas is a rich in natural resources
a. Soil and climate well suited for agricultural development
(1) Wheat
(2) Cotton
(3) Rice
(4) Corn
(5) Sorghum
b. Mineral resources
(1) Oil and Gas
(2) Sulfur
(3) Crushed Stone
(4) Portland Cement
(5) Salt
(6) Common Clays
(7) Gypsum
(8) Talc
B. Texas Cultural Regions
1. East Texas
a. Social and cultural extension of old south
b. Rural and biracial
c. Segregated towns still exist
d. Typically dominated by old families whose wealth based on real
estate, banking, construction, and retail
e. Migration to DFW or Houston
2. Gulf Coast
a. Discovery of oil near Beaumont in 1901 spurred growth
b. Shipping became important
(1) Ports in Beaumont and Port Arthur
(2) Ports Houston and along the Ship Channel
c. Stimulated investment from outside state
d. Energy crisis in 1970's caused boom with immigration from the
Northern Frost Belt and Rust Belt
e. Influenced by immigration from East Texas, Asia, Mexico
f. Social and economic elite from new money, from oil, insurance,
construction, land development, banking
g. Economy is diversifying and globalizing
h. Texas Medical Center is world-wide leader in health care
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3. South and Southwest Texas
a. Developed ranchero culture akin to feudal system in Spain
(1) Creoles (descendants of European Spanish) were the social
and economic elite of the region and principle land owners
(2) Meztizos (Spanish and Native American lineage) were the
workers in the fields
b. Anglos not significant until after Texas Revolution
c. Agriculturally based economy although NAFTA has stimulated
economic growth as the region is as a gateway to Latin America
d. Increased immigration from Mexico in search of economic
opportunity and to avoid political instability
4. German Hill Country
a. Settled by Eastern European immigrants (German, Czechs, Poles,
Norwegians)
b. Primarily farming and ranching
c. Socially conservative
d. Stronghold of Texas Republicanism
5. West Texas
a. Settled by Anglos after defeat of Apaches
b. Southern traditions including protestant fundamentalism
c. Few African Americans and limited Mexican-American migration
d. Socially conservative, and bible belt fundamentalist
e. Politically - conservative democratic but turning republican
f. Largest oil production near Midland and Odessa
g. Agriculture and ranching also important
6. The Panhandle
a. Midwestern farmers thus Midwestern in character and institutions
b. Conservative leaning toward Republican Party
c. Protestant
7. North Texas
a. Buffer between East and West Texas borrowing from both regions
b. Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex became rail center which promoted
commercial development and Dallas is now a corporate center
c. DFW is the banking and commercial center of Texas
d. Exhibits cosmopolitan attitude
8. Central Texas
a. Bounded by Houston, DFW, San Antonio
b. Melting pot of Texas
c. Austin is the center of this core area of Texas and has seen
dramatic growth in the past decade with immigration from the
Northeast and Western United States
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III. Texas Demographics
A. Texas Population–The Numbers
1. Texas is amongst the fastest growing states in terms of population and has
grown at twice the national average over the past ten years
a. 1990 population of approximately 17 million
b. 2000 population of approximately 21 million
(1) Second only to California’s 35 million
(2) Approximately 11 million native-born Texans
(3) Immigration from Mexico and Latin America, California,
Louisiana, Oklahoma
c. 2007 population of approximately 24 million
d. Second only to California in numerical growth
2. The states population is increasingly urban
a. 86% of the population now lives in urban/metropolitan areas
(1) The four largest areas account for over 50% of the state’s
population (2000 Census)
(a) Harris– 3.6 million
(b) Tarrant– 1.4 million
(c) Bexar– 1.4 million
(d) Dallas– 2.2 million
(2) Harris County population 3.6 million
(a) White not Hispanic 43%
(b) Hispanics 33%
(c) African Americans 18%
b. However, the population is not evenly distributed, but is
concentrated East of Austin-San Antonio
(1) Houston SMSA 2007 population estimate of 5.6 million
(2) Loving County with a 2007 population of 55
3. Texas in Comparison to Other States
a. Texas ranks 8 for persons below the poverty levelth
(1) Texans below poverty level is 15.4%
(2) New Hampshire is ranked 50 with 6.5% below povertyth
(3) Louisiana is ranked 2 with 19.6% below povertynd
(4) Mississippi is ranked 1 with 19.9% below povertyst
b. Texas ranks 31 in average teachers salaries of $39,300st
c. Texas ranks 30 in median household income of $37,900th
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B. The Ethnic Diversity of Texas
1. Texas was officially declared a minority-majority state in 2005
2. Texas also has a rapidly changing and growing population
a. Whites (Anglos) now make 48% the states residents
b. Hispanics are now over 36% of the states residents
(1) Hispanics are a diverse group
(a) 24.3% are Mexican-Americans
(b) 0.3% are Puerto Rican
(c) 0.1% are Cuban
(d) 7.1 % are other Hispanic
(2) Majority in 36 counties
(3) San Antonio and El Paso largest cities in nation with
Hispanic majorities (Los Angeles is 46.5% Hispanic)
(a) El Paso is 76.6% Hispanic
(b) San Antonio is 58.7%
(4) Texas also has several cities with the highest percent
Hispanic populations
(a) Laredo is 94.1% Hispanic and ranked second only
behind East LA with 96.8%
(b) Brownsville is 91.3% Hispanic and ranked 3
(c) McAllen is 80.3% Hispanic and ranked 5
(5) El Paso is 76.6% Hispanic and ranked 6
(6) Harris County is particularly diverse
(a) 38% Hispanic
(b) 37% White, not Hispanic
(c) 19% African American
(d) 5% Asian
(7) Despite the growing size of the Hispanic population college
enrollment figures are relatively low
(a) UT at Austin with 15% Hispanic enrollment
(b) Texas A&M with 10% Hispanic enrollment
(c) UH with 19% Hispanic enrollment
c. African Americans make-up 11.9% of state's population
(1) Located primarily in Southeast and Northeast Texas (the
Old South)
(2) East of a line drawn from Dallas to Houston over to the
Beaumont-Port Arthur area
(a) 18% of Harris County is African American
(b) Jefferson County is predominately White/Black
which obviously influences the politics of the area
i) 50% White, not Hispanic
ii) 35% African American
iii) 13% Hispanic
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(3) As with Hispanics, African American college enrollment is
not proportional
(a) UT Austin enrollment is 3.9% African American
(b) Texas A&M enrollment is 3% African American
(c) UH student body is 13% African American
d. Asian Americans comprise 3.4 % of the states population
(1) 5% of all Asian Americans in U.S. live in Texas
(2) Significant immigration from Southeast Asia giving
Houston a viable Vietnamese community
(3) Also, significant Chinese and Korean communities
(4) College Enrollment for Asian Americans is high
(a) UT Austin with 14% Asian American enrollment
(b) Texas A&M with 10% Asian American enrollment
(c) UH with 20% Asian American enrollment
e. Native Americans approximately 1% of the states residents
(1) Alabama Coushatta
(a) Approximately 550 tribal members
(b) Live on 4,351 acre reservation in Polk Co.
(c) Economic Condition
i) 46% underemployed
ii) 1% with college degree
iii) Median household income $10,809
(2) Kickapoo
(a) Approximately 650 tribal members
(b) Reside near Eagle Pass
(c) Officially recognized as Texas Band of Oklahoma
Kickapoo
(d) Dual citizenship in U.S. and Mexico
(3) Tigua
(a) Approximately 2,000 Native Americans
(b) Reside near El Paso
(c) Speaking Rock Casino opened in 1994
(d) Subject to legal action that closed the facility in
2002
3. Imagine the challenges facing political candidates as they attempt to court
the support of the various ethnic groups in state of Texas
a. In the 2008 primaries, Obama did particularly well among African
American voters
b. Clinton, on the other hand, did well with Hispanic voterrs
c. Texas has been considered a Red State since Reagan
d. Increased political involvement by Hispanics will obviously
change the political dynamics of state
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C. Religious Diversity in Texas
1. Texas is a state with significant religious diversity
a. First in the nation in number of Evangelical Protestants
b. Third in the nation in number of Catholics
c. Third in the nation in number of Buddhists
d. Fifth in the nation in number of Muslims
e. Fifth in the nation in number of Hindus
f. Tenth in the nation in the number of Jews
2. Southern Baptists have generally dominated the Texas political landscape
(particularly in East Texas)
a. In 2000 there were over 4.5 million Baptists in Texas
b. In 2000 there were over 3.5 million Southern Baptists
3. Catholics, with the growth of the Hispanic community, are now beginning
to exert some influence
a. In 2000 there were over 4.3 million Catholics in Texas
b. Catholics witnessed the greatest denominational growth since 1990
4. Candidates for office must consider a broad range of moral issues such as
abortion, same sex marriages and prayer in school
D. Texas and Educational Attainment
1. Texas ranks 50 in %age of population over 25 with high school diplomath
2. Texas ranks 27 in %age of population over 25 with Bachelors Degreeth
3. Approximately 24% of the states population over the age of 25 have
earned a Bachelor’s Degree, slightly less than the national average
4. Only 40 of 254 counties had a population where over 20% of the
population had earned a Bachelors Degree
5. 100 counties are classified as “Low Education Counties” because 25
percent or more of the population between the ages of 25 and 64 did not
have a high school diploma or GED
E. Poverty and Income
1. In 2003, the poverty rate was 16.2% compared to a 12% nationally
2. Four counties had poverty rates in excess of 30%
a. Hidalgo, Willacy, and Zavala
b. Starr had the highest poverty rate in the state at 36.2%
3. 36 of the nations 386 counties considered persistently poor (greater than
20% poverty in each decennial census since 1970)
4. Texas ranks 30 in Median Household Incometh
5. Median household Income clearly demonstrates the economic disparity
a. $47,162 for Anglo households
b. $29,305 for African American households
c. $29,873 for Hispanic households
d. $50,049 for Asian households
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Part II
Political Power and the
Structure of American Government