In the book entitled The Texas Left: The Radical Roots of Lone Star Liberalism the editors David 0’Donald Cullen and Kyle G. Wilkinson gathered a collection of studies relating to the often radical, and liberal policies that occurred throughout the history of Texas. The authors focus on unions and working conditions for Mexican Americans, African Americans, women suffrage and civil rights. The focus of these topics are rather a neglected history of Texan’s heritage arguments during the industrial revolution are economics injustice, political disenfranchisement and gender equality. I have separated this essay into three distinct sections about farmers, unions, and the minorities deriving from the chapters from the book.
The part of the book,
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the “Texas Left” begins with chapters’ two, three, and four and are combined with the discussion of farmers and the radical reforms at the time. The Republican Party pushed for reconstruction, including civil rights and suffrage reforms. This had begun to take effect in the North. The Republican Party in Texas believed that there was a need for a radical change with political state of government. The Republican Party did succeed in a few aspects of political reform although they didn’t contribute equal rights for African Americans under the law and segregations for Texas. Through intimidation of the minority, African American and white voters successfully fended off legislative supporters for reform. With the African American vote successfully repressed, white voters gained control of the governor’s office and prevented minorities by undermining the legal system. This stopped the African American population of any legal protection. The reforms were taken by the whites and continued to control the racial electives and school systems created for African Americans. The white supremacy wanted to overpower the education systems through segregation. The legislative and cultural actions caused Texas to remain a ranching and farming society based economy controlled by the whites. majority lead into the twentieth century. As the farming based economy began to expand. Farmers saw the need for protection over their trade and industry and growing influences of large corporations. The Farmers’ Alliances organizations pushed for radical reforms that in time would grow to be the foundation of the Populist movement. The Farmers alliances throughout the South were formed together by the economic hardship of bank loans in the south. As a reaction to the lack of accessible money to farmers the alliance formed an internal committee that would soon be known as the Sub Treasury Plan. The idea of the plan was to weaken the federal government from using national banks to deposit money and limit the currency in circulation. The Sub Treasury Plan would control the federal government’s ability to deposit currency in these national banks in order to expand the amount of currency in circulation and help with economic growth. It was certainty that if these alliances ensured the currency in circulation then the profits of crops they produced would increase price value. Many politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties saw this plan as a radical movement because of the risk of federal intervention in the farming market. With the lack of support by either major political party for their Sub Treasury Plan the Farmers alliance created an establishment of a new political party known as the Populist Party. The Populist Party began strong however, by the early 1900’s it decreased by members returning to their previous political parties.
The Republican party, and members of the Populist Party eventually succeeded in a limited number of government reforms. However, they separated a large minority of supporters like African American Farmers. At first many members of the Populist Party began with similar ideas on political representation and legislative reforms. The economic reforms disagreed on the execution of ideas that were limited. These first chapters set the foundation of the book and the idea of radical political ideology as well as the strong segregation in the …show more content…
state. As the book progresses into chapters’ five, six, and seven the focus turns away from civil rights and political ideology. The focuses of these chapters is based on unions and organizations that tried to bring better working conditions to workers in Texas. The development of the Socialist Party was a majority of the states oppressed and poor working class. The Socialist Party focused on improving working conditions including the enactment of an eight-hour work day. The Socialist pushed heavily for safer working conditions. The party also thought children should remain in school rather than join work forces. The Socialist ideas were popular among the working class and the party did grow in size to become an opposing third party. The Democrats and Republicans were reluctant to support the radical ideologies of the Socialist party’s beliefs. As WWI approached most politicians in Texas began to distance themselves from the Socialist Party about supporting unionized workers and the ideas. The political ideology of Texas continued to lean towards a conservative ideology, the growing liberal economic entities, labor movements. This expanded the execution of the Texas State Federation of Labor workers advanced their unionization efforts and returned to better working conditions. However, as the unions gained favor in many workplaces it began to grow as many independent business owners who saw unions as a threat to the free market economy. These Texas Federation of Labor workers antagonized employers who accepted the unions. The conservatives claimed that a free market economy without labor unions would benefit individual workers with higher wages and low prices on goods. In most cases, however, this was not entirely true. In fact, in most cases they intended the complete opposite for effect. The battle for unionization and workers right would continue throughout the twentieth century with conservative antagonism. These chapters established the structure of the book by identifying the struggle between the conservative business mind right and the individual worker based left leaning toward political. The following chapters eight, nine, and ten focus on the establishment of rights for minorities.
The push for Women's suffrage did not gain traction in the south until the establishment of the Texas Equal Suffrage Association (TESA). This allowed women to argue for women’s rights. Texas Equal Suffrage Association was outspoken and was determined to expand the rights of white women, but they lacked support for African American women rights as the issue was still far too controversial. The Suffrage movement struggled due to a lack of support from men. The men sought woman’s suffrage as a challenge to established political power. The nineteenth amendment (1920), was ratified the fears of conservative men who eventually accepted the League of Women Voters (LWC). The league role in politics argued the focus on the individual candidates and their qualification. The Mexican and African Americans also faced similar challenges with struggle for equality and civil rights. With the assistance of the leftist politicians, the Populist Party and WWI these groups were able to fight for higher wages, improve working conditions, and the advancement of Civil Rights. However, African American, Mexican Americans, and the newly empowered women voters could and did take part in the democratic process and in many cases put a stop to the long standing domination of the white majority in Texas. These Chapters give Structure to the book as well as insight into the minorities struggle for
equality. The Texas Left has brought many aspects of Texas history to my knowledge. This book has changed the way I look at Texas. The Texas I live in today still has a conservative nature and it will always be my home. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of Texas’ argument of both left and right party ideologies. I have learned more about the lasting effects of the struggles for the Civil Rights, Unionists, and the political parties. The heritage of Texas was argued and reformed through the book, The Texas Left. This book was a difficult read,, however, I enjoyed learning about a different perspective of Texas’ leftist history. This book was very informative.
When we see Texas, we remember today mainly for its BBQ, Football and Black Gold, Texas tea. However, there is much more than just the usual itineraries that we find in most other states as well. Molly Ivins in her essay “Is Texas America” categorically states that, “Here's the deal on Texas. It's big. So big there's about five distinct and different places here, separated from one another geologically, topographically, botanically, ethnically, culturally and climatically” (Ivins). This is a true belief from Molly Ivins of how huge Texas was and how the demographics changed in each geographical location in Texas. The population of Texas and the demographics are two essential factors that include many important parameters in deciding the history of any state. The presence of many ethnic groups further adds to the diversification of
The books “Fertile Ground, Narrow Choices” by Rebecca Sharpless and “The Path to a Modern South” by Walter L. Buenger paint a picture of what life was like from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. Though written with their own style and from different views these two books describe the modernization of Texas through economics, politics, lifestyles and gender roles, specifically the roles of women during this era.
The Antebellum Era between the years of 1825 to 1850 was abundant with many reform movements that signified great change within the people of the nation. Although many of these changes were good and lasting reforms, extremists’ stark views did the contrary and inhibited change. Luckily, reform movements such as the women’s rights movement, the abolition of slavery, and temperance all led the nation in the right direction towards the expansion of democratic ideals. These ideals encompass the belief that all citizens are equal and are entitled to certain unalienable rights.
...neth M. Goldstein, and William G. Howell. "Chapter 20 The Social and Economic Milieu of Texas Poltics." Understanding American Politics and Government. Texas ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 690-93. Print.
The Texas Legislature is far too archaic to provide consistent leadership for a state government; Congress has become too enmeshed with the executive branch and leaves blurry lines drawn in its separation of powers. The ideal legislature would be a modernized version of what the Texas Constitution created.
According to Ellen Carol Dubois, the campaigns to acquire women suffrage were not easy that they required voters to “be persuaded to welcome new and unpredictable constituencies into the political arena” (420). There was also severe resistance in the North about the immigrant vote and the exclusion of African American and poor whites in the South (420). Immigrants in the North and African American in the South were not fully qualified to vote for the women. Harriot Stanton Bl...
In all the history of America one thing has been made clear, historians can’t agree on much. It is valid seeing as none of them can travel back in time to actually experience the important events and even distinguish what has value and what doesn’t. Therefore all historians must make a leap and interpret the facts as best they can. The populist movement does not escape this paradox. Two views are widely accepted yet vastly different, the views of Richard Hofstadter and Lawrence Goodwyn. They disagree on whether populists were “isolated and paranoid bigots” or “sophisticated, empathetic egalitarians”; whether their leaders were “opportunists who victimized them” or “visionary economic theorists who liberated them”; whether their beliefs were rooted in the free silver campaign of the 1890s or the cooperative movement of the 1880s; and finally whether their ideal society was in the “agrarian past” or “the promise of a cooperative future”. They could not agree on anything, over all Richard Hofstadter seems to have a better idea of the truth of populism.
Texas went through a great amount of political change from being dominated by the Democratic Party during the 1960s and 70s, from the Republican Party taking over in the 80s. One of the big reasons for this change was due to the political party’s views. Throughout this essay I will discuss the changes of the political stances in Texas as well as the present day factors that affect America.
During the late 19th and early 20th century both the Populist Party and Progressive movement wanted to preserve some things, while also addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these “Third parties” were initially not legislated and considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became fundamental laws throughout American history.
The relationship between a local government and its people is typically a combined form of stability, as well as discordant moments of tension and rising-to-dramatic change. More specifically, the political climate of the local government differs depending on how those people view the three aspects of their governmental calls and needs: rights and responsibility of the people, obligations of their government, and limits on the local governmental authority.
The fight for women’s rights began long before the Civil War, but the most prominent issue began after the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments joined the Constitution. The rights to all “citizens” of the United States identified all true “citizens” as men and therefore incited a revolution in civil rights for women (“The Fight for Women’s Suffrage”). The National Women’s Suffrage Convention of 1868
Thesis: The nine years of Texas’s independence were long and seemed to be dragged out. Were those nine years unnecessary and could it have been done in a shorter period of time? 13 October 1834 was the first revolutionary meeting of the American citizens who’d settled in Mexico, in the area soon to be known as Texas. The people attempted a movement that soon was laid to rest by the Mexican Congress. Attempts at independence were silenced for the time being and the elections of 1835 proceeded forward.
The Annexation of Texas was one of the most debatable events in the history of the United States. This paper argues the different opinions about doing the annexation of Texas or not. In this case Henry Clay and John L. O’Sullivan had completely opposite opinions about this issue. The reasons of why not do it was because of the desire to prevent war, for division over slavery, and for constitutional rights. On the other hand, John L. O’ Sullivan wanted to do this because of his idea of Manifest Destiny. By 1845, the annexation of Texas went into effect.
Throughout history, women have always fought to gain equal political rights, but conventional roles kept women from getting enough political representation. Many suffrage groups founded by women challenged the conventional roles of women during 1840 to 1968 with the dream of obtaining equal political representation. In 1919, the nineteenth amendment, drafted by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton was passed. The 19th amendment has been desired by many women for years. Although the 19th amendment passed and women thought that they were able to be equal in politics, many women did not get equal political representation due to their conventional roles at the time period. Women were not able to achieve high roles in politics, shown through the fact that there has never been a woman president in the history of the United States. The presidency of women did not occur due to the perceptions that generally, women should be protected and hidden, not out in the open and leadin...
Beginning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, women began to vocalize their opinions and desires for the right to vote. The Women’s Suffrage movement paved the way for the nineteenth Amendment in the United States Constitution that allowed women to have that right. The Women’s Suffrage movement started a movement for equal rights for women that has continued to propel equal opportunities for women throughout the country. The Women’s Liberation Movement has sparked better opportunities, demanded respect and pioneered the path for women entering the workforce that was started by the right to vote and given momentum in the late 1950s. The focus of The Women’s Liberation Movement was idealized off The Civil Rights Movement; it was founded on the elimination of discriminatory practices and sexist attitudes (Freeman, 1995).