Constitution of Highest Populated State: Texas Constitution

When the United States Constitution was published in 1787 it wouldn’t be until 89 years later, and with many significant changes, for the Texas Constitution to have the current document we follow today. With that in mind, one must ask themselves: if the entire country managed to, for the most part, hold their own with a constitution for 89 years, then did Texas really need their own constitution, a document that had been corrected several times? And more importantly, does it need one now? While some people might argue that it doesn’t, I believe that having the Texas Constitution is not only important but also crucial to the stability of the state because of two main points: a Jeffersonian approach to democracy that truly differentiates us from the rest by giving opportunities to many small businesses, and a long history of re-editing that’s made the document one with many rules that’s been woven into the government we live in right now.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas had an estimated population of over 28,995,881 people (As of July 1, 2019). This is one of the highest populated states in the country, so the way the government is guided is critical to the stability of the lone star state. And thus, the question arises: How powerful should a colossal state like Texas, with a huge ethnic and cultural potpourri, be? Thomas Jefferson once said that he was convinced that after reading history, “most bad governments resulted from too much government.” It’s always fascinating to read his ideology on what the right government should look like, simply due to the fact that our very own state constitution mirrors many of his viewpoints. Texas is even considered one of the weakest governments in the entire country but because of it, it succeeds in aspects whereas many others fail. One big example of this is the support for small businesses. The Texas Constitution makes success for small businesses much easier to achieve because there’s not as much micromanaging done by the government as opposed to other states that fail to get these numbers. So much so that the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration reported in its 2018 report that, “In the third quarter of 2017, Texas business grew at an annual rate of 5.0%, which was faster than the overall US growth rate of 3.4%.”. This statistic alone shows why many businesses are deciding to move to Texas. At the end of the day, the reason for this success lies in the way the state government runs, but at its core, the credit goes to the state Constitution. If Texas only relied on the US Constitution, the 4500-word document that infamously misspelled Pennsylvania, then our hands would be on a document that is vague and there would not be ordered on what a business can or cannot do, which leads me to my next point.

The U.S. Constitution is short and dated. One main reason for the success of the Texas Constitution is its long history with rewritings. Although some may argue that simpler is better and that the Texas Constitution is over convoluted, I’d counter by saying that the length of the document is a strength because it is edited to fit current times and by doing so helps to thicken the line between what’s right and wrong in the largest state of the country. The book Governing Texas highlights that there have been 6 major changes to the constitution as a way to fit in with their respected times. The last major change to the document was done in 1876, but it’s been amended about 500 times since then. This is proof that the state has been ready to update its constitutional texts on command when they are needed, so if there were to be any major changes to the state, we would be ready to adapt and overcome any challenges that faced us. On the other hand, according to Original White House Documents, “the US Constitution has been amended 27 times”. 27 amendments to a Constitution in a period of 200 years, is most definitely not the most reliable document you can use to guide a nation which is why having the Texas Constitution is important not only to the people but to the government itself. These changes and rewrites have put the oil into the squeaky wheel and because of it, we can move forward without many stumbles.

With all of that in mind, the US Constitution is not the worst document ever written; it’s a really solid paper but it’s too broad for it to guide the day to day of a state, let alone the largest one of the nation, which is where the Texas Constitution comes in. Both documents work collectively. If the US Constitution is the bones, then the Texas Constitution is the meat, and that’s exactly why the State of Texas actually needs its own constitution in addition to the U.S. documents. Our state Consitution adds volumes to what a government should be and has remained true to the current times, but it’s also guided us with a type of democracy that’s been proven to help our state, especially in the business section. This mutualistic relationship has helped expand the rights and wrongs of what a government is, but more importantly, it’s helped many citizens achieve their dreams and goals by making it simple to understand how to begin their business and by making it easier for them to succeed without much intervention. As Thomas Jefferson said, “The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors.”