Ideally you now have a general understanding of what a governing system is, and what a political system is. This week we will look a bit more in-depth at the governing and political systems established by the constitutions of the United States and Texas.
This applies to both the class on federal government and the class on state and local government.
The bulk of what we will do is look through these documents:
- The Unites States Constitution.
- The Texas Constitution.
- Code of Ordinances.
- - Alvin.
- - Houston.
- - Pearland.
Useful Terminology:
GOVT 2305
- Articles of Confederation
- second founding
- international standing
- economic difficulties
- balance of power
- Constitutional Convention
- great compromise
- 3/5ths compromise
- The Constitution
- bicameralism
- separated powers
- checks and balances
- excessive democracy
- expressed powers
- necessary and proper clause
- judicial review
- national unity
- supremacy clause
- amendments
- ratification
- federalists
- anti-federalists
- federalism
- Bill of Rights
- representation
- tyranny|
- limited government
- due process
- suffrage
- elections
- adjust powers of government
- state constitutions
- homestead law
- limited government
- monarchy
- plural executive
- popular sovereignty
- republic
- separation of powers
- social contract
- sovereignty
- suffrage
- Local Government
- annexation
- charter
- city manager
- council-manager system
- councils of government
- cumulative voting
- Dillon's Rule
- general law city
- home rule city
- initiative
- referendum
- recall
- mayor-council system
- municipal bonds
- ordinances
- place system
- preemption
- special districts
- Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones
- unincorporated areas
- representation
- delegate
- trustee
- mercantilism
- confederation
- federalism
- separated powers
- checks and balances
- classical republicanism
- incorporation
- originalism
- pragmatism
- treaty making
- presidential electors
- commander – in – chief
- granted powers
- delegated powers
- implied powers
- prohibited powers
- inherent powers
- reserved powers
- elastic clauses
- welfare clause
- commerce clause
- city charters
- popular sovereignty
- enumerated powers
- concurrent powers
- supremacy clause
- relations between the states
- Article 4 – US Constitution
- privileges and immunities
- full faith and credit
- dual federalism
- cooperative federalism
- devolution
- fiscal federalism
- categorical grant
- block grant
- unfunded mandate
- Dillon’s Rule
- home rule cities
Lecture topics - not required, but useful. Maybe even interesting.
- Constitutions, Charters, Statutory Code, etc. . . .
- Who is in charge? Divine Right vs. Popular Rule.
- Popular Sovereignty - Dual Sovereignty - Tribal Sovereignty.
- Declaration of Independence - United States.
- Thomas Hutchinson and The Loyalists Rebuttal.
- The Article of Confederation.
- The deficiencies of the confederated system.
- The Text of the U.S. Constitution.
- The 27 Amendments to the Unites States Constitution.
- The Federal System.
- The States within the United States Constitutional System.
- The Text of the Current Texas Constitution.
- The Constitutions of Texas.
- Dillon's Rule.
- Local Governments in the United States.