History of Texas, Part III GOVT 2306, Module 1

Post-World War II Texas

Urbanization Texas becomes an urban state. It also becomes a manufacturing center with the growth of aluminum, defense, and high- technology industries.

LBJ Elected to the U.S. Senate In 1948, Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson was elected to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate in an election famous for questionable vote counting. Johnson would go on to become the Senate majority leader, vice president, and eventually president of the United States.

School Integration Controversy In 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws requiring the racial segregation of schools were unconstitutional. Rather than comply with the court ruling, Texas state and local officials resisted school integration using every means at their disposal.

Immigration Fuels Growth The population of Texas continued to grow, fueled by immigration from other states and foreign countries. Many of the immigrants settled in the fast growing suburbs of Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth.

Gradual Political Change

More Competitive Politics Conservative Democratic dominance of Texas politics began to loosen with the election of Republicans, such as John Tower, and liberal Democrats, such as Ralph Yarborough. Senator John Tower, R. Texas, served from 1961-1985

Federal Voting Rights Intervention Over time, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down the various barriers the state of Texas had created to keep low-income and minority voters from casting their ballots. The Supreme Court ruled that the white primary was unconstitutional. Congress proposed and the states ratified an amendment prohibiting the poll tax. Finally, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to protect minority voting rights.

Increasing Political Diversity As the electorate expanded, the state began electing a more diverse set of public officials, including African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. Who is this? Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, 1967-1973

Quiz Which of the following Texas political leaders was the first Republican senator elected from Texas in the 20th Century? A) Lyndon Johnson B) John Tower c) Barbara Jordon D) Ralph Yarborough The answer is B.

Late-20th-Century Texas

Oil Boom of the 1970s The Texas economy benefitted from rising oil prices in the 1970s. Higher prices were bad for consumers but good for producers. State tax collections soared along with the boom.

Oil Bust of the 1980s The price of oil fell from $40 a barrel in the 1970s to < $10 a barrel in the 1980s. The economic boom of the 1970s turned into an economic bust. Tax collections fell and the Texas legislature was forced to increase the sales tax to maintain state services. “Please God let there be another Oil Boom. I promise not to piss it all away next time.” – Bumper sticker seen in Texas

President George H. W. Bush Former Texas Congressman George H. W. Bush was elected president in 1988.

Rising Crime Rate and Prison Boom The Texas legislature responded to rising crime rates with a prison construction boom. Before long, Texas would have one of the largest prison systems in the nation.

Economic Diversification Economic diversification in the 1990s helped return the state to economic prosperity despite a decline in oil production. Computers, aerospace, machinery, and scientific instruments all contributed to the state’s strong economic performance.

Population Growth The Texas population continued to grow rapidly because of immigration from abroad, especially from Latin America, and from other parts of the United States.

President George W. Bush Another Texan, Governor George W. Bush, the son of former President Bush, was elected president in 2000 and reelected in 2004.

Modern Times

Collapse of Enron The collapse of Enron, a Houston- based energy trading company, threw the Texas economy into a tailspin in 2001.

September 11, 2001 The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 threw the national economy into a tailspin.

Hurricanes Where is this? The Astrodome Refugees from Louisiana flooded the state after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. Hurricane Rita struck the Beaumont-Port Arthur area in 2005. Hurricane Ike hit Houston in 2008. Where is this? The Astrodome

Great Recession In 2008-2009, the United States experienced the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Although unemployment rose in the state and tax collections fell, Texas was not hit as hard by the Great Recession as most other states.

Themes of Texas History Immigration-driven population growth Economic growth typically driven by commodity prices (cotton, cattle, oil) Noncompetitive politics—one-party or one-faction state for most of its history Voter suppression Conflict with central government History of racism and intolerance

Quiz Brown v. Board of Education is most closely associated with which of the following? A) Voting Rights B) Racial integration of public schools C) Abortion D) Immigration The answer is B.

What You Have Learned How did the Texas economy change after World War II? How did Texas politics change after World War II? What are the major themes of Texas history?