What percentage of Texans live in urban areas today?
85% of Texans live in urban areas.
Are there more Texans under 18 or over 65?
There are more Texans under 18 years old (26.8%) and (10.9%) over 65.
Which party dominates Texas today?
Republican.
What is political culture?
Political culture-broadly shared values, beliefs and attributes about how the government should function & politically operate.
Who came up with the theory of political culture discussed in the book?
Daniel Elazar.
What are the characteristics of the moralistic culture and where did it originate?
Politics are the concern of everyone and government is expected to promote the public good and advance public welfare. It originated in New England.
What are the characteristics of the individualistic culture and where did it originate?
It places a low value on citizen participation and originated in the middle states.
What are the characteristics of the traditionalistic culture and where did it originate?
It originated with a social hierarchy and originated in the South.
What three patterns indicate Texas' "traditionalistic individualistic" state political culture?
1) Taxes are kept low. 2) Social services are kept low. 3) Political elite have a major voice.
Which party dominated Texas politics for over 100 years?
Democratic Party.
What is provincialism?
It's a narrow view of the world.
Have labor unions or businesses traditionally dominated Texas' government?
No.
What is "creative destruction"?
Capitalism was an economic system that underwent periodic waves of transformation fueled by technological innovations in production and distribution.
How many great waves of technological change have helped define and redefine Texas' political economy over the last 150 years?
Three.
What crop fueled Texas' economy from before the Civil War to the 1880s?
Cotton.
What is a sharecropper?
Sharecropping was when a farmer grew crops on land that he did not own in exchange for money and supplies.
When did cattle ranching become a big business in Texas?
1830's.
Are there more or less farmers and ranchers today than in the 40s and why?
Less because Texas moved on to mineral deposits because there was a growing demand for petroleum.
What percentage of Texans currently lives on farms and ranches?
Less than 2%.
What and where was Spindletop?
It was the first big boom in oil and was located three miles south of Beaumont.
How did the oil and gas industry transform Texas' social and economic fabric?
It provided cheap oil and gas for an industrial revolution. We moved away from steam and coil.
How did the oil and gas industry impact Texas' higher education funding?
Oil was found on the University land so overnight they became wealthy and were able to fund all education.
Roughly how much was the Permanent University Fund worth in 2012?
$15 billion.
What happened to the Texas economy when the price of oil fell in the mid-1980s?
Recession.
What industries led the 1990s recovery?
Hi-tech, computer technology.
What two Texas metropolitan areas are the centers of most of this high tech industry?
Austin & Dallas.
What is NAFTA and in what year was it signed?
North America Free Trade Agreement, which means no customs between Canada, Mexico and US. It was signed in 1992.
Are Anglos a bigger or smaller percentage of Texas' people now than in the past and why?
Anglos are a smaller percentage because there has been a vast migration of white people that hold different values.
How are modern Anglos politically and economically different from Anglos of the past?
Old Texans were farmers and voted Democratic. Now they live in suburbia and vote Republican.
How many Lations were living in Texas in 2013?
9.97 million.
What is a poll tax?
It is a tax that is paid to vote to keep poor people from voting.
What areas of Texas have the highest African American population?
East Texas due to sharecropping.
What was the significance of the Court decision in Smith v. Allwright?
Outlawed white primary.
Is the population of Texas generally younger or older than the rest of the nation?
Younger compared to the nation.
Are Texans generally richer or poorer than the average American?
Poorer because the young are poor.
What percentage of Texans lived in urban areas by the first decade of the 21st Century.
85%.
What was Stephen F. Austin's role in the development of Texas?
They were offered land to populate the region.
Who founded Houston
The Allen Brothers.
Are Dallas and Fort Worth very different or very similar and how?
They are different because it is where the west begins for Texas. The west is white collared Texans.
The economy of San Antonio rests on what legs?
National military base, educational institutions, tourism and a large medical research complex.
Do Texan's live in rural or urban cities mostly?
Urban
When in Texas History did cattle become big business?
Immediately after the Civil War.
Austin-San Marcos is popular for producing what?
Computer chips and personal computers.
How many Texans are there?
25 million.
Name 3 of the top 10 biggest cities in America?
1) Houston 2) Dallas-Fort Worth 3) San Antonio
How many counties are there in Texas?
254.
What are the top 5 counties in Texas?
1) Harris 2) Dallas 3) Tarrant 4) Bexar 5) Travis
How many Texans live in the Texas Triangle?
80%
Does Texas have a state income tax?
No.
Is Texas a right to work state?
Yes.
What year did Anglos first enter Texas?
1823
What did Texans have to do to be part of Mexico?
1) Be good Mexican citizens. 2) Catholic 3) No slaves.
What year did Santa Anna march on Texas?
1835
When was the Texas declaration of independence signed?
March 2, 1836
Who was Texas' first president?
Sam Houston
Who was Texas' second president?
Mirabeau Limar
When did Texas become a state?
1845 (28th state)
