CHAPTER 1
The Context of Texas Politics
TRUE/FALSE
1. The population of San Antonio at the time of the first European exploration was perhaps as high
as 250,000 Native Americans.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 4
2. The first Spanish missions were established in Texas to extend Spanish domination and to
convert Native Americans to Christianity.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 4
3. The Texas Coast, along with the entire U.S. Gulf Coast, was first mapped by General Alonzo
Alvarez de Pineda.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 4
4. As an impresario, Stephen F. Austin established the first Anglo settlements in Austin.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 5
5. Texas was potentially much more attractive to settlers from the United States because land was
free if one could obtain a government grant.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 5
6. After the mid-1870s, the Mexican government began to fear further Anglo-American settlement
and acted to curtail it, only to be met with greater demands for concessions by the settlers.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 6
7. Texas’s admission to the Union was controversial because Texas permitted slavery.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 7
8. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, African American Texans
consider Emancipation Day to be June 19, 1865.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 8
9. The Reconstruction era administration of Governor E. J. Davis was praised by most Texans for its
sound management of state finances.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 8
10. Because so many Democrats were disqualified from holding political office as a result of their
support for the Confederacy, the Republican Party was able to dominate Texas political
institutions until well into the twentieth century.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 8
11. Although cotton was the principal export of Texas well into the twentieth century, in terms of the
self-image of Texans, the myth and imagination of the frontier has been far more important than
cotton farming.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 9
12. Because Texas did not suffer the physical destruction that burdened the other Confederate states,
economic recovery and development came quickly after the Civil War.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 9
13. Labor Unions became popular in Texas during the Progressive Era of the 1890s.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 10
14. With the discovery of a huge East Texas oil field in 1930, Texas became the world’s leading oil
producer.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 11
15. From the very beginning after the discovery of oil in Texas, the industry has dominated state
politics in Texas.
, ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 12
16. Historically, Texas has been relatively free from racial or ethnic discrimination.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 12
17. The population of Texas shifted from largely rural to about sixty percent urban in the decade of
the 1980s.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 15
18. Even by the late 1990s, more Texans were employed by the oil industry than in high-tech
industries.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 17
19. In Texas, the 1990s were marked by a period of economic diversification.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 17
20. Political legitimacy is the belief that government is founded on morally right principles and
citizens should, therefore, follow its laws.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 19
21. A federal system is one in which governmental powers are shared among three branches of
government.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 21
22. Texas Republicans have generally expressed the view that the regulations of the environment by
the Environmental Protection Agency are an overstepping of national power in a federal system.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 22
23. In a moralistic political culture, citizens believe that the state and the nation are designed to
further the shared interests of everyone.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 27
24. The term “pseudo laissez-faire” applies to the position of those who are opposed to government
economic intervention except when they get in trouble and require government assistance.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 29
25. Social Darwinism is the belief that governments should not come to the aid of less fortunate in
society.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 29
26. Due to its laissez-faire ideology, Texas ranks high on its business climate compared to other
states.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 30
27. If current population trends hold, the population of Texas will be over 50 percent Hispanic by
2020.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 33
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The flags of all of the following except ____ have flown over Texas at some time in its history.
a. Spain
b. France
c. Great Britain
d. Mexico
e. the Confederacy
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 4
2. The threat of competition from their imperial rivals spurred ____ to establish a series of
missions in what is now Texas beginning in 1690.
a. Portugal
, b. Britain
c. Spain
d. Pirates
e. France
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 4
3. The first Anglo-American colony in Texas during the period of Mexican rule was established
by
a. Moses Austin.
b. Stephen F. Austin.
c. Davy Crockett.
d. George Mifflin Dallas.
e. Sam Houston.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 5
4. The Texas army that won the decisive Battle of San Jacinto was led by
a. Moses Austin.
b. Stephen F. Austin.
c. Davy Crockett.
d. Sam Houston.
e. Robert E. Lee.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 6
5. Following the Civil War, most African Americans in Texas voted for
a. Republicans.
b. Democrats.
c. Populists.
d. Greenbacks.
e. Whigs.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 8
6. Political activity by freed slaves gave rise to
a. the Democratic Party.
b. the Republican Party.
c. the Ku Klux Klan.
d. socialism.
e. the National Grange.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 8
7. The “Grangers” who were so influential in Texas politics during the 1870s were members of
a national
a. religious movement.
b. equal rights movement.
c. labor union.
d. farmers’ organization.
e. oil and gas industry organization.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 10
8. The first native Texan to be elected governor was
a. Sam Houston.
b. Davy Crockett.
c. Richard Coke.
, d. James S. Hogg.
e.
e. J. Davis.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 10
9. Which of the following political parties flourished in Texas near the end of the nineteenth
century and favored monetary reform and railroad regulation?
a. Populist
b. Greenback
c. “Know-Nothing”
d. Socialist
e. Republican.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 10, 11
10. The transformation of the Texas economy in the twentieth century began with
a. the opening of overseas agricultural export markets.
b. the oil industry boom prompted by the discovery of the Spindletop field.
c. the construction of numerous military facilities during World War II.
d. the shift from a manufacturing to a service economy.
e. none of the above.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 11
11. To prevent the spread of the Standard Oil Company’s monopoly into Texas, the state’s
attorney general in 1889 began to file “antitrust” suits against companies affiliated with
Standard Oil. This suspicion of a major corporation is an expression of
a. the Populist tradition in state politics.
b. the state’s laissez faire culture.
c. the power of the Republican Party.
d. the state’s cowboy culture.
e. the power of the national government.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 11
12. Which of the following best reflects the politics of the Jim Crow Era?
a. The dominance of the Grange during the post Civil War Era
b. The founding of the Railroad Commission
c. The popularity of Populists in the 1890s
d. The development of the White Primary
e. The passage of the Terrell Election Law
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 12
13. During the early 1920s, which organization controlled every elective office in Dallas and
showed considerable political power statewide?
a. The Republican Party
b. The Populist Party
c. The Roman Catholic Church
d. The Texas Railroad Commission
e. The Ku Klux Klan
ANS: E PTS: 1 REF: 13
14. Which of the following assumed responsibility in the 1930s for limiting oil production in
order to create a stable and profitable market?
a. The Humble Oil and Refining Company
The Context of Texas Politics
TRUE/FALSE
1. The population of San Antonio at the time of the first European exploration was perhaps as high
as 250,000 Native Americans.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 4
2. The first Spanish missions were established in Texas to extend Spanish domination and to
convert Native Americans to Christianity.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 4
3. The Texas Coast, along with the entire U.S. Gulf Coast, was first mapped by General Alonzo
Alvarez de Pineda.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 4
4. As an impresario, Stephen F. Austin established the first Anglo settlements in Austin.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 5
5. Texas was potentially much more attractive to settlers from the United States because land was
free if one could obtain a government grant.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 5
6. After the mid-1870s, the Mexican government began to fear further Anglo-American settlement
and acted to curtail it, only to be met with greater demands for concessions by the settlers.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 6
7. Texas’s admission to the Union was controversial because Texas permitted slavery.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 7
8. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, African American Texans
consider Emancipation Day to be June 19, 1865.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 8
9. The Reconstruction era administration of Governor E. J. Davis was praised by most Texans for its
sound management of state finances.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 8
10. Because so many Democrats were disqualified from holding political office as a result of their
support for the Confederacy, the Republican Party was able to dominate Texas political
institutions until well into the twentieth century.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 8
11. Although cotton was the principal export of Texas well into the twentieth century, in terms of the
self-image of Texans, the myth and imagination of the frontier has been far more important than
cotton farming.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 9
12. Because Texas did not suffer the physical destruction that burdened the other Confederate states,
economic recovery and development came quickly after the Civil War.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 9
13. Labor Unions became popular in Texas during the Progressive Era of the 1890s.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 10
14. With the discovery of a huge East Texas oil field in 1930, Texas became the world’s leading oil
producer.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 11
15. From the very beginning after the discovery of oil in Texas, the industry has dominated state
politics in Texas.
, ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 12
16. Historically, Texas has been relatively free from racial or ethnic discrimination.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 12
17. The population of Texas shifted from largely rural to about sixty percent urban in the decade of
the 1980s.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 15
18. Even by the late 1990s, more Texans were employed by the oil industry than in high-tech
industries.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 17
19. In Texas, the 1990s were marked by a period of economic diversification.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 17
20. Political legitimacy is the belief that government is founded on morally right principles and
citizens should, therefore, follow its laws.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 19
21. A federal system is one in which governmental powers are shared among three branches of
government.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 21
22. Texas Republicans have generally expressed the view that the regulations of the environment by
the Environmental Protection Agency are an overstepping of national power in a federal system.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 22
23. In a moralistic political culture, citizens believe that the state and the nation are designed to
further the shared interests of everyone.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 27
24. The term “pseudo laissez-faire” applies to the position of those who are opposed to government
economic intervention except when they get in trouble and require government assistance.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 29
25. Social Darwinism is the belief that governments should not come to the aid of less fortunate in
society.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 29
26. Due to its laissez-faire ideology, Texas ranks high on its business climate compared to other
states.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 30
27. If current population trends hold, the population of Texas will be over 50 percent Hispanic by
2020.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 33
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The flags of all of the following except ____ have flown over Texas at some time in its history.
a. Spain
b. France
c. Great Britain
d. Mexico
e. the Confederacy
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 4
2. The threat of competition from their imperial rivals spurred ____ to establish a series of
missions in what is now Texas beginning in 1690.
a. Portugal
, b. Britain
c. Spain
d. Pirates
e. France
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 4
3. The first Anglo-American colony in Texas during the period of Mexican rule was established
by
a. Moses Austin.
b. Stephen F. Austin.
c. Davy Crockett.
d. George Mifflin Dallas.
e. Sam Houston.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 5
4. The Texas army that won the decisive Battle of San Jacinto was led by
a. Moses Austin.
b. Stephen F. Austin.
c. Davy Crockett.
d. Sam Houston.
e. Robert E. Lee.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 6
5. Following the Civil War, most African Americans in Texas voted for
a. Republicans.
b. Democrats.
c. Populists.
d. Greenbacks.
e. Whigs.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 8
6. Political activity by freed slaves gave rise to
a. the Democratic Party.
b. the Republican Party.
c. the Ku Klux Klan.
d. socialism.
e. the National Grange.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 8
7. The “Grangers” who were so influential in Texas politics during the 1870s were members of
a national
a. religious movement.
b. equal rights movement.
c. labor union.
d. farmers’ organization.
e. oil and gas industry organization.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 10
8. The first native Texan to be elected governor was
a. Sam Houston.
b. Davy Crockett.
c. Richard Coke.
, d. James S. Hogg.
e.
e. J. Davis.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 10
9. Which of the following political parties flourished in Texas near the end of the nineteenth
century and favored monetary reform and railroad regulation?
a. Populist
b. Greenback
c. “Know-Nothing”
d. Socialist
e. Republican.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 10, 11
10. The transformation of the Texas economy in the twentieth century began with
a. the opening of overseas agricultural export markets.
b. the oil industry boom prompted by the discovery of the Spindletop field.
c. the construction of numerous military facilities during World War II.
d. the shift from a manufacturing to a service economy.
e. none of the above.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 11
11. To prevent the spread of the Standard Oil Company’s monopoly into Texas, the state’s
attorney general in 1889 began to file “antitrust” suits against companies affiliated with
Standard Oil. This suspicion of a major corporation is an expression of
a. the Populist tradition in state politics.
b. the state’s laissez faire culture.
c. the power of the Republican Party.
d. the state’s cowboy culture.
e. the power of the national government.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 11
12. Which of the following best reflects the politics of the Jim Crow Era?
a. The dominance of the Grange during the post Civil War Era
b. The founding of the Railroad Commission
c. The popularity of Populists in the 1890s
d. The development of the White Primary
e. The passage of the Terrell Election Law
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 12
13. During the early 1920s, which organization controlled every elective office in Dallas and
showed considerable political power statewide?
a. The Republican Party
b. The Populist Party
c. The Roman Catholic Church
d. The Texas Railroad Commission
e. The Ku Klux Klan
ANS: E PTS: 1 REF: 13
14. Which of the following assumed responsibility in the 1930s for limiting oil production in
order to create a stable and profitable market?
a. The Humble Oil and Refining Company
