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U.S and Texas Constitution Differences

In many ways, the U.S and Texas Constitutions are similar documents. They both embody the principles of representative democratic government, and supreme power which originated from the people. Both contain a bill of rights that protects civil liberties from keeping the government of breaking laws… both provide branches of legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate… both seek a system of checks and balances and separation of powers between legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government… and both divide government power between upper and lower levels of government. In the U.S. Constitution the states are lower in rank to the federal government, and in the Texas Constitution the countries are lowered rank to the state government, but beyond these general features, the two constitutions could not be more different. These differences result from the fact that the two documents arose out of very different historical circumstances and for completely opposite complaints with the document each was meant to replace. With the U.S. Constitution, the problem with the earlier Articles of Confederation was that the government was too central to local government and not powerful enough. The U.S. Constitution was designed to overcome these weaknesses and offer a degree of centralization and increased government power. But this is precisely what the Texas Constitution was designed to reverse and avoid. The framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted to enable government action; the framers of the Texas Constitution wanted to paralyze government action.

U.S and Texas Constitution Similarities

In many ways, the U.S. and Texas Constitutions are similar documents. They both embody the principles of representative democratic government, in which sovereignty emanates from the people. Both contain a bill of rights that protects civil liberties from government infringement… both provide for a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate… both seek a system of checks and balances and separation of powers between legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government… and both divide government power between upper and lower levels of government. In the U.S. Constitution the states are subordinate to the federal government, and in the Texas Constitution the counties are subordinate to the state government. But beyond these general features, the two constitutions could not be more different. These differences result from the fact that the two documents arose out of very different historical circumstances and for radically opposite complaints with the document each was meant to replace. With the U.S. Constitution, the problem with the earlier Articles of Confederation was that government was too decentralized and not powerful enough. The U.S. Constitution was designed to overcome these weaknesses and offer a degree of centralization and increased government power. But this is precisely what the Texas Constitution was designed to reverse and avoid. The framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted to enable government action; the framers of the Texas Constitution wanted to paralyze government action.

Texas Constitution

There was arising tension between Mexico and Texas, Texas took matters into there own hands and made a constitution to claim independence. Texas declared its independence in 1836, established the Republic of Texas, and adopted a new constitution. The Texas Constitution of 1836 lifted major portions from the U.S. Constitution. The new charter was brief, composed of less than 6,500 words. Its features included separation of powers into three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—with a system of checks and balances. It created a bicameral which is two branches or chambers legislature, with a House of Representatives and a Senate. Representatives and Senators served terms of one and three years, respectively. The executive resembled the American president who was elected by popular vote. The judiciary was four-tiered, with justice, county, district, and supreme courts. The constitution also recognized slavery, provided for male suffrage, contained a bill of rights, and excluded citizenship to African Americans and Native Americans. Although the document did contain an amendment process, it was so complex that none were ever adopted.

U.S Constitution The U.S. Constitution established America's national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, presided over by George Washington. The U.S. constitution establishes primary laws and guaranteed certain basic rights for people. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by a representative to the constitutional convention in Philadelphia, presided over by George Washington.

How the U.S and Texas Constitution protect individual rights

Passed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1948, the Declaration of Human Rights follows in the tradition of the Declaration of Independence (1776), the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (1789), Immanuel Kant's Perpetual Peace (1795), On the Condition of Labour (1891), and more recently Pope John XXIII's encyclical Pacem in Terris: On making Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity, and Liberty (1963). Like the U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights it describes limits that all governments should have in respect of their citizens. Beyond the negative liberties characteristic of the U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights, the Declaration of Human Rights declares in positive and completed terms the essential of respecting, equality, and rights of all human beings. It defines in detail the positive obligations of societies to their citizens and families, for example to provide employment under safe and favorable conditions, social as well as military security, a standard of living adequate to meet individual and family needs, and free compulsory elementary education and widely accessible higher education. The Declaration concludes noting that each individual bears reciprocal obligations to the community which alone makes possible "the free and full development of his personality."

Resources https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/educational-resources/bill-rights-us-texas-and-un https://dlc.dcccd.edu/txgov1-2/texas-constitutional-history https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mhc07