Texas History and Constitutions Six Flags Over Texas Chapter Learning Objective By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: Summarize the social history of Texas and how it has shaped the political characteristics of the state’s population Introduction: Six Flags Over Texas Texas has a rich and diverse history. Understanding that history helps explain why contemporary Texas is the way it is. This chapter explores a tiny piece of that history.

Texas Political Culture Industries That Shaped Texas Politics Learning Objective By the end of this section, you will be able to: Summarize the various industries that helped shape Texas politics Introduction Industries that shaped Texas politics include oil, cotton, cattle, lumber, and high technology. Those industries have ebbed and flowed over time, which has been described as creative destruction. Today, Texas has a very diverse economy, with industries such as petroleum and natural gas, farming, steel, banking, health care, telecommunications, and tourism.

Federalism The Evolution of Federalism Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Analyze the state and federal powers in a constitutional context Introduction Federalism is a system of government that creates two relatively autonomous levels of government, each possessing authority granted to them by the national constitution. Federal systems like the one in the United States are different from unitary systems, which concentrate authority in the national government, and from confederations, which concentrate authority in subnational governments.