Chapter 1

Chapter 1The PoliticalCulture, People,And Economy of Texas

The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas

Texas Political Culture

• Political culture: broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how government and society should function

• Political culture in U.S. states: Daniel Elazar– Shaped by state founding origins and experiences– Defined by state orientation toward:

• Marketplace• Role of government• Who should participate in government and politics


• Three state political culture categories:– Moralistic– Individualistic– Traditionalistic

• Some are a blend of two

• Broad definitions for each category help understand state-level differences

Not a literal/direct definition of all people in all states in contemporary society.


• Moralistic political culture– Rooted in New England Puritanism– The common good (expressed through politics) is

everyone’s concern.– Government should promote the public good.– Examples: MN, IA, WI, CA, WA, ME, VT, NH


• Individualistic political culture– Focuses more on commercial success– Government should provide order and protect

property.– Bureaucracy viewed as interference– Less concern for mass participation in politics– Examples: NY, PA, OH, IL, NV


• Traditionalistic political culture– Rooted in plantation values of social hierarchy – Focused on tradition and maintaining existing social

order (keep standing arrangements)– Politics engaged in by established wealthy families– Examples: TX, AZ, FL, MS, AL


• Texas traditionalistic–moralistic mix– Low taxes and social service provision– Business interests dominate policy

• Texas harder to generalize– Historical origins/development within state differ

• Example: large cities (Houston, Dallas), border cities (El Paso, Laredo, Rio Grande Valley), rural regions sharply different histories, people, and industries


• One-party state– Democratic Party dominated Texas for over a century.

• Held all statewide offices, won presidential elections• 100 percent of state legislature

– Today, GOP dominates Texas politics.• Democrats have not won statewide office since

1994.• Texas legislature majority since 2002

– Democrats remain popular in Texas cities, though.• See congressional, state legislature, and county offices


• Business dominance– Unions are mostly absent– Consumer and environmental concerns not

especially influential

• Provincialism (narrow view of the world)– Associated with Jeffersonian notions of limited

government and rural values– Low spending on social services and education– Intolerant of social hierarchy challenges, diversity


The Land

• Texas politics shaped by state geography– Size, location, natural resources

• 2nd largest state, 267,00 sq. miles– 800 miles north to south (about 11 hrs. by car)– 773 miles east to west (about 10.5 hrs. by car)

• Largest border with foreign country• Gulf coast and rivers, fertile and desert land,

plains and mountains, oil and natural gas

The Physical Regions of Texas

Economic Change in Texas

• Texas economic development tied to resources and technology of the time

• Three phases of technological change:– Cotton and cattle– Oil– Technology innovations

• Facilitated state strengths in high-tech industry, medical research, energy industry, and banking


Cotton cultivationbegan in the 1820s.

• By 1880s, Texas was the largest producer.

• Connected to national markets by railroads


• Cotton– Labor-intensive cultivation led to tenant farming

and sharecropping.• A system of social and economic dependency

that trapped many Texans in rural areas– Crop-lien system could easily place households in

debt from which they could not escape• Radical political discontent in rural areas led to

support for Grange and Populist movements


• Cattle ranching– Texas has dominated cattle ranching industry for

over a century.• Vast space, land suited for grazing and growing

specialized feed– Increasingly operated by large agribusinesses

• Many located in Texas, or agreements with cattle ranchers in the state

– Currently, only about 2 percent of Texas population is located on farms

Cattle Ranching


• Oil– Took off in 1901 with Spindletop– By 1930s, oil replaced agriculture as the main

contributor to its economy• Allowed America to move from coal to oil as

primary energy source• Facilitates creation of the national highway system

– Energy industry develops in Texas• Oil, natural gas, production, exploration and research

Oil in the Texas Economy

Oil Production in Texas


• Oil led to a rise in industrialism along the coast and boomtowns near oil fields.

• Texas Railroad Commission brought stability to the markets.– State agency regulating oil and gas industries– Allowed common pipeline carriers that served

many different companies (efficient)– Regulated oil production to smooth pricing


• NAFTA—North American Free Trade Agreement (1992)– Created free trade zone U.S., Canada, and Mexico– Texas increased exports to Mexico and Canada by

$10b between 1992 and 1997.– 24 out of 32 industries that export to Mexico saw

double-digit gains

NAFTA

The Changing Face of Texas, 1850–2010

The People: Texas Demography

• Three sources of population growth– Natural increase (births)– International immigration (outside the U.S.)– Domestic immigration (one U.S. state to another)

• Texas has 2nd largest population– 25.5 million as of 2011

• California is 1st with 37.2 million– Between 2000 and 2010, grew by 4.5 million, 20

percent

• Six flags over Texas: over five centuries, Texas was part of six different sovereign entities.

1. Spain: 1519–1685 and 1690–18212. France: 1685–16903. Mexico: 1821–18364. Republic of Texas: 1836–18455. Confederacy: 1861–18656. United States: 1845–1861; and since 1865


• Anglos– Whites of European descent (except Spain)

• Largest group during nineteenth and twentieth centuries– First wave arrived before Texas Revolution (1835)

• Both Spain and Mexico gave Anglos land grants to bring people to Texas.– Most notably, Moses Austin and son, Stephen F. Austin


• Anglos– Population surge after Revolution (1835–6)– Mostly immigration from southern states

• Southern settlers brought slaves with them.– Most Texas farmers never owned slaves.

• Yet, overwhelmingly supported secession/Civil War


Anglos

Anglo Population in Texas Counties, 2010


• Hispanics/Latinos– Origins to any of 20 Spanish-speaking nations (Latin

America and Spain)

• Texas Latinos mostly Mexican origin– Historical overlap and proximity– 88 percent of Latino Texans are Mexican origin (2010)

• Established presence in Texas– Sizeable Mexican origin population has always been

the case

• Long-standing large Latino population regions– El Paso, San Antonio, all of South Texas

• Pockets with less presence– Distance from large metro area and border

• Historical and contemporary trend

• Texas is 38 percent Latino (2010)– Increasingly urban, true for entire state population– Opportunities in cities draw people


Hispanic Population in Texas Counties, 2010


• History of anti-Hispanic political discrimination– Despite large populations, systematic barriers

• Segregated public facilities• Targeted by poll taxes and white primaries

• Voting Rights Act (1965) demise of Jim Crow– Fewer participation/representation barriers– 20 percent of Texas legislature is Latino (37 of 181)– By 2010, approximately 2,500 Latinos held elected

office in various state and local positions.

• African Americans– Black population origins in Texas reflects the

state’s history with slavery

• Growth in slave population– Mexican government antislavery policies kept

black population relatively low until the Texas Revolution (<5,000 in 1830s)

– Post-Texas Revolution, southern settlers brought large number of slaves to the state


• 1860 (Civil War), over 182,000 slaves in Texas– Tripled in size in only 10 yrs. (1850=58,000)– Constituted one-third of the state’s population– Concentrated in East Texas

• Wharton and Brazoria counties highest numbers

• Emancipation and Reconstruction– Texas slaves freed three years after Emancipation

Proclamation (Juneteenth)– 100,000+ African American men registered voters


African Americans

African American Population in Texas Counties, 2010

• By 1903, Jim Crow laws and violence toward blacks keep nearly all blacks from the polls.– Only 5,000 black registered voters

• Civil rights and population changes– Numerous black elected officials, especially in the

Houston and Dallas areas– 63 percent of Texas black population resides in

Houston and Dallas areas (2010 Census)– Texas population is 12 percent African American


Per Capita Income in Texas and the United States, 1990–2010

(in Nominal Nonadjusted Dollars)

• Early urbanization– Towns were founded under Mexican rule as a

means of colonizing the territory• Evidenced by the courthouse in the town center

– Vast majority of state was rural, and small towns

• 88 percent now reside in urban and suburban areas:

Austin Corpus Christi Dallas El Paso Fort Worth Houston Laredo Rio Grande Valley San Antonio


Urbanization in Texas,1850–2010

WHO ARE TEXANS?

SOURCES: Texas State Data Center; Office of State Demographer.

Race and Total Population

TOTAL POPULATION =

1980

14,229,191

White

66%

Black 12%

Hispanic 21%

Other 1%

= 250,000 people

2010

24,330,646

White

47%

Black 11%

Hispanic 37%

Other 4%

2040

35,761,165

White

32%

Black 10%

Hispanic 53%

Other 6%

WHO ARE TEXANS?

Geography


2020 2040

< 25%

26 – 45%

46 – 65%

66 – 85%

86% +

Projected Population Growth from the year 2000 by Metropolitan Area

WHO ARE TEXANS?

Geography


Projected Population Growth from the year 2000 by Metropolitan Area

2000

Rural Areas

Other Metropolitan Areas

San Antonio Area

Houston Area

Dallas-Ft. Worth Area

Austin Area

2,907,272

5,106,131

1,711,703

4,715,407

5,161,544

1,249,763

2020

3,452,327 +19%

6,689,146 +31%

2,179,553 +27%

6,443,005 +37%

7,340,276 +42%

1,901,433 +52%

2040

3,825,783 +32%

8,254,026 +62%

2,514,097 +49%

8,398,069 +78%

10,107,348 +96%

2,661,842 +113%

Urban Political Economy

• Houston– 1800s, economy based on commerce and cotton– Houston Ship Channel transformed the city to become a

major metropolitan area.– Oil and natural gas expanded industry base

• Largest manufacturer of petroleum equipment– Technological advances spurred economic growth.

• NASA (Johnson Space Center), The Texas Medical Center (world’s largest), nanotechology


• Dallas– Sat at intersection of two major railroads

• Transformed into a major commerce center– Developed into financial center for the oil industry

• Additional economic bases: transportation, tech, retail

• Fort Worth– Located at a resting spot for cattle herders

• Railroads were built to serve the cattle industry.– Major military installation

• Helped develop the aviation industry


• San Antonio– Initially large city because it was the capitol of

Spanish Texas

• Economic and bases today– Military infrastructure

• Bases, civilian industry and support– Tourism

• Most visited in the state, Alamo major attraction– Medical

Populations of the Largest Citiesin Texas, 2010

Race and Ethnic Breakdown of Texas and

Its Largest Counties, 2010

Public Opinion Poll

Which of the following do you think most accurately describes contemporary Texas?

a)Large cities, high-skill jobs (tech, engineering, medicine, etc.), diverse population

b)Rural communities, farming and ranching jobs, homogenous population

Public Opinion Poll

Republicans have held all statewide offices in Texas for over 16 years. Do you think this trend will continue into the next decade, or do you expect Democrats will be more competitive in the near future?

a)GOP will remain very strong.b)Democrats will start winning statewide.

Public Opinion Poll

Which of the following factors do you think ismost important in shaping the state’s culture?

a)Diverse and large populationb)Unique geography (size, border, climate)c) Natural resources (oil, gas, crops, gulf)

Public Opinion Poll

Is it possible for Texas to maintain a small-government approach when the state population continues to grow at a quick rate that outpaces all others?

a)Yes, the state can have more people without growing the size of government.

b)No, more people means the state government will have to grow.

Public Opinion Poll

Is Texas truly distinctive from other southern or southwestern states in terms of its people and politics?

a)Yes, Texas has a unique political culture.b)No, Texas is essentially like neighboring states.c) Texas once was different, but that is no longer

the case.

Documents

Chapter 1