Demographics and Amendments Paper
It is important to be able to understand how the changing demographics of a state can influence and impact the government, laws, and policies of that state. These influences and impacts can take many different forms. One such form is in the changing of the state government. We have seen this in Texas through many amendments that have been passed throughout the state’s history. In order to best understand how changes are reflected, and sometimes amplified over time, important to evaluate concrete examples to demonstrate these changes in government. As such, this is a research paper, this is not conjecture (your opinion/feelings or what you have heard), but instead solidly verifiable information from scholarly and reputable sources.
For this paper, you will be researching and analyzing the demographic changes in Texas and then applying that knowledge and understanding to help explain what has led to some of the many amendments in the Texas Constitution. To support your position, you must provide a detailed explanation of an amendment to the Texas Constitution.
Here are some questions that will help guide you:
This paper should:
General Recommendations:
Websites that may be helpful:
Tarlton Law Library Texas Constitution – https://tarltonapps.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/texas1876
Texas A&M Researching Texas Law: Constitution and Statutes – https://law.tamu.libguides.com/c.php?g=513877&p=3511046
The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin – https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/
Legislative Reference Library of Texas – https://lrl.texas.gov/legis/ConstAmends/index.cfm
United States Census Bureau, Texas – https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/TX
Texas Demographic Center – https://demographics.texas.gov/
Texas Tribune – https://www.texastribune.org/
PRB Why is the US Census So Important? – https://www.prb.org/importance-of-us-census/
Center for Public Policy Priorities Blog – http://bettertexasblog.org/
Ballotpedia – https://ballotpedia.org/Texas
The Texas Lyceum – https://www.texaslyceum.org/
Texas Standard Government and Politics – https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/categories/government-politics/
Category | Exceeds Standard | Meets Standard | Nearly Meets Standard | Does Not Meet Standard | No Evidence |
Introduction | Topic is clearly stated and appropriately focused. | Topic is clearly stated but focus needs to be sharper. | Topic is stated but not appropriately focused. | Topic is not clearly stated. | Topic is not mentioned. |
Quality of Information | Information is clearly related to the main topic, including consistent supporting details, and/or examples. | Information clearly related to the main topic, provided adequate supporting details, and/or examples. | Information clearly related to the main topic, provided some supporting details, and/or examples. | Information related to the main topic, no details or examples provided. | Information had little or nothing to do with the main topic. |
Organization | Information is logically organized and follows a linear progression. | Information is adequately organized and follows a linear progression. | Information is somewhat organized. | Obvious lack of organization. | No observable organization. |
Mechanics and MLA Formatting | No grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors observed. Proper heading and formatting is observed. | Almost no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors observed. Heading and formatting is observed. | A few grammatical spelling or punctuation errors observed. Heading and formatting is observed. | Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors observed. OR Proper heading and formatting is not observed. | Limited observable effort in the area of mechanics. |
MLA Formatting Sources | 6 or more appropriate sources documented in proper MLA format, both in-text and Works Cited. | At least 5 appropriate sources documented in proper MLA format, both in-text and Works Cited. | At least 4 appropriate sources documented in proper MLA format, both in-text and Works Cited. | At least 3 appropriate sources documented in proper MLA format, both in-text and Works Cited. | Fewer than 2 appropriate sources. No observable effort in MLA formatting sources. |