Texas: Difference between revisions

| LargestCity = [[Houston]]

[[Spain]] was the [[Spanish Texas|first European country]] to claim and control Texas. Following [[French colonization of Texas|a short-lived colony]] controlled by France, Mexico controlled the land until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the [[Republic of Texas]]. In 1845, Texas joined the United States of America as the 28th state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Twenty-ninth Congress: Resolutions |url=http://legisworks.org/sal/9/stats/STATUTE-9-Pg108a.pdf |url-status=dead |date=1845 |access-date=May 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525081934/http://legisworks.org/sal/9/stats/STATUTE-9-Pg108a.pdf |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |website=legisworks.org}}</ref> The [[Texas annexation|state's annexation]] set off a chain of events that led to the [[Mexican–American War]] in 1846. Following victory by the United States, Texas remained a [[slave state]] until the [[American Civil War]], when it declared its secession from [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]] in early 1861 before officially joining the [[Confederate States of America]] on March{{nbsp}}2. After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

Texas re-entered war following the [[1860 United States presidential election|election of 1860]]. During this time, Black people comprised 30 percent of the state's population, and they were overwhelmingly enslaved.<ref name=HOT>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=pkaan |first=W. Marvin |last=Dulaney |title=African Americans |orig-year=June 9, 2010 |date=July 25, 2016}}</ref> When [[Abraham Lincoln]] was elected, South Carolina seceded from the Union; five other [[Deep South]] states quickly followed. A state convention considering secession opened in Austin on January 28, 1861. On February 1, by a vote of 166–8, the convention adopted an [[Ordinance of Secession]]. Texas voters approved this Ordinance on February 23, 1861. Texas joined the newly created Confederate States of America on March 4, 1861, ratifying the permanent [[Constitution of the Confederate States|C.S. Constitution]] on March 23.<ref name="facts" /><ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=mjs01|title=Secession Convention|first=Walter L. |last=Buenger|orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=March 8, 2011}}</ref>

While far from the [[Eastern Theater of the American Civil War|major battlefields]] of the [[American Civil War]], Texas contributed large numbers of soldiers and equipment.<ref name="CivilwarHB">{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=qdc02 |title=Civil War |first=Ralph A. |last=Wooster |orig-year=June 12, 2010 |date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> Union troops briefly [[First Battle of Galveston|occupied]] the state's primary port, Galveston. Texas's border with Mexico was known as the "backdoor of the Confederacy" because trade occurred at the border, bypassing the Union blockade.<ref>{{cite book |last=Federal Writers' Project |title=Texas, A Guide to the Lone Star State: Brownsville |publisher=Native American Books Distributor |date=December 1997 |page=206 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUI26u0B_VEC&pg=PA206 |isbn=978-0-403-02192-5}}</ref> The Confederacy repulsed all Union attempts to shut down this route,<ref name="CivilwarHB" /> but Texas's role as a supply state was marginalized in mid-1863 after the Union capture of the [[Mississippi River]]. The [[Battle of Palmito Ranch|final battle of the Civil War]] was fought at [[Palmito Ranch Battlefield|Palmito Ranch]], near Brownsville, Texas, and saw a Confederate victory.<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=qfp01|title=Palmito Ranch, Battle of |first=Jeffrey William |last=Hunt |orig-date=1952 |date=April 20, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230410145326/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/palmito-ranch-battle-of |archive-date= Apr 10, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Marvel |first=William |date=June 12, 2006|title=Battle of Palmetto Ranch: American Civil War's Final Battle|url=https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-palmetto-ranch-american-civil-wars-final-battle.htm|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=HistoryNet|language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122140801/https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-palmetto-ranch-american-civil-wars-final-battle.htm |archive-date= Jan 22, 2021 }}</ref>

In 1901, the Democratic-dominated state legislature passed a bill requiring payment of a [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] for voting, which effectively [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchised]] most Black and many poor White and [[Latinos|Latino]] people. In addition, the legislature established [[white primaries]], ensuring minorities were excluded from the formal political process. The number of voters dropped dramatically, and the Democrats crushed competition from the Republican and Populist parties.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=791091 |title=Nixon v. Condon. Disfranchisement of the Negro in Texas |journal=The Yale Law Journal |volume=41 |issue=8 |pages=1212–1221 |date=June 1932 |doi=10.2307/791091|issn=0044-0094 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/6_5_3.html |title=Texas Politics: Historical Barriers to Voting |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |date=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402060131/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/vce/0503.html |archive-date=April 2, 2008}}</ref> The [[Socialist Party of Texas|Socialist Party]] became the second-largest party in Texas after 1912,<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=was01|title=Socialist Party|first=Barr|last=Alwyn|date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> coinciding with a large socialist upsurge in the United States during fierce battles in the labor movement and the popularity of national heroes like [[Eugene V. Debs]]. The socialists' popularity soon waned after their vilification by the federal government for their opposition to U.S. involvement in [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=World War I and the Suppression of Dissent {{!}} Wendy McElroy|url=https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=1207|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=The Independent Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='War against war': Americans for peace in World War I – National Constitution Center|url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/war-against-war-americans-for-peace-in-world-war-i|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org |quote=Morris Hillquit sought to keep alive the ties of his Socialist Party to its comrades abroad. Senator Robert La Follette filled many a speech with praise for progressives in other countries who shared his hatred for militarism. Henry Ford chartered an ocean liner to transport himself and dozens of other activists across the Atlantic, where they lobbied neutral governments to embrace a peace plan they would press on the warring powers. These Americans, like most critics of the war elsewhere in the world, wanted to create a new global order based on cooperative relationships between nation states and their gradual disarmament. Militarism, they argued, isolated peoples behind walls of mutual fear and loathing. Until April 1917, this formidable coalition of idealists—or realists—did much to keep the nation at peace. They may even have had a majority of Americans on their side until just weeks before Congress, at Wilson's behest, voted to declare war. To prevent that from happening, peace activists pressed for a national referendum on the question, confident that "the people" would recoil from fighting and paying the bills in order to help one group of European powers conquer another.}}</ref>

During the late 20th century, the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] replaced the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] as the dominant party in the state.<ref name="Calvert-2017"/> Beginning in the early 21st century, metropolitan areas including [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth]] and [[Greater Austin]] became centers for the [[Texas Democratic Party]] in statewide and national elections as liberal policies became more accepted in urban areas.<ref name="City Journal-2016">{{cite web|date=September 12, 2016|title=Red State, Blue Cities|url=https://www.city-journal.org/html/red-state-blue-cities-14731.html |access-date=October 9, 2020|website=City Journal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chart of the Week: The most liberal and conservative big cities|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/08/08/chart-of-the-week-the-most-liberal-and-conservative-big-cities/ |access-date=October 9, 2020|website=Pew Research Center|date=August 8, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=February 22, 2018|title=Meet the Next Texans, a population boom that will change our politics|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/02/22/meet-the-next-texans-a-population-boom-that-will-change-our-politics/|access-date=October 9, 2020|website=Dallas News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Tan|first=Anjelica|date=January 26, 2020|title=Why Republicans may lose Texas|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/479998-why-republicans-may-lose-texas|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Texas]], the first confirmed case of the virus in Texas was announced on March 4, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=DSHS Announces First Case of COVID-19 in Texas|url=https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news/releases/2020/20200304.aspx|accessdate=October 9, 2020|website=dshs.texas.gov}}</ref> On April 27, 2020, Governor [[Greg Abbott]] announced phase one of re-opening the economy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Governor Abbott Announces Phase One To Open Texas, Establishes Statewide Minimum Standard Health Protocols|url=https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-phase-one-to-open-texas-establishes-statewide-minimum-standard-health-protocols|access-date=October 9, 2020|website=gov.texas.gov}}</ref> Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in autumn 2020, Abbott refused to enact further lockdowns.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rosenzweig-Ziff|first=Patrick Svitek and Dan |date=November 18, 2020|title=Coronavirus cases in Texas are soaring again. But this time Gov. Greg Abbott says no lockdown is coming.|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/11/18/texas-coronavirus-lockdown/|access-date=November 20, 2020|website=The Texas Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Texas, Florida and South Dakota governors refuse lockdowns as coronavirus resurges|date=November 18, 2020 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-florida-south-dakota-governors-refuse-lockdowns-coronavirus-resurges-n1248042|access-date=November 20, 2020|publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Texas was selected as one of four states to test Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine distribution.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fischer |first1=Courtney|last2=Abrahams|first2=Tom|date=November 17, 2020|title=Texas among states chosen to test Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine distribution|url=https://abc13.com/8036302/|access-date=February 16, 2021|website=ABC13 Houston}}</ref> As of February 2, 2021, there had been over 2.4 million confirmed cases in Texas, with at least 37,417 deaths.<ref>{{cite news|title=Texas Coronavirus Map and Case Count|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/texas-coronavirus-cases.html|access-date=December 29, 2020|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 2020}}</ref>

During February 13–17, 2021, the state faced a major weather emergency as [[Winter Storm Uri]] hit the state, as well as most of the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 19, 2021|title=Explained: How a winter storm caused widespread blackouts in energy-rich Texas|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/texas-winter-storm-blackout-7192677/|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=The Indian Express}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Miserable winter weather is still hitting Texas and now it's spreading to the East Coast|date=February 18, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/weather/winter-storm-weather-thursday/index.html|access-date=February 20, 2021|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Historically high power usage across the state caused the state's power grid to become overworked and [[ERCOT]] (the main operator of the [[Texas Interconnection]] grid) declared an emergency and began to implement rolling blackouts across Texas, causing a [[2021 Texas power crisis|power crisis]].<ref>{{cite web|title=ERCOT calls for rotating outages as extreme winter weather forces generating units offline|url=http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/225210|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=ercot.com|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302070732/http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/225210|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Douglas|first=Erin|date=February 18, 2021|title=Texas was "seconds and minutes" away from catastrophic monthslong blackouts, officials say|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/18/texas-power-outages-ercot/|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=The Texas Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Texas Republicans criticized for misleading claims that renewable energy sources caused massive outages|date=February 18, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/politics/texas-power-outages-political-fallout/index.html|access-date=February 20, 2021|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Over 3 million Texans were without power and over 4 million were under boil-water notices.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hanson|first=Blake|date=February 18, 2021|title=With half of Texas under a boil water notice, state efforts shift to emerging water crisis|url=https://www.fox4news.com/news/with-half-of-texas-under-a-boil-water-notice-state-efforts-now-shifting-to-emerging-water-crisis|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=FOX 4|language=en-US}}</ref>

|[[Houston]]|| 94/75 || 34/24 || 63/54 || 17/12

{{As of|2017}}, Texas emitted the most [[greenhouse gas]]es in the U.S.<ref name="eia17">{{cite web |title=Rankings: Total Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 2017 |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/rankings/?sid=TX#/series/226 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |access-date=January 14, 2020 |date=2017}}</ref> {{As of|2017}} the state emits about {{convert|707|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off|sp=us|order=flip}} of carbon dioxide annually.<ref name="eia17" /> As an independent state, Texas would rank as the world's seventh-largest producer of greenhouse gases.<ref name="GH2">{{cite news |title=Texas No. 1 producer of greenhouse gases |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/060307dnnatemissions.3c1df3a.html |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News |date=June 3, 2007 |access-date=June 11, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919052620/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/060307dnnatemissions.3c1df3a.html |archive-date=September 19, 2008}}</ref> Causes of the state's vast greenhouse gas emissions include the state's large number of [[Fossil fuel power plant|coal power plants]] and the state's refining and manufacturing industries.<ref name="GH2" /> In 2010, there were 2,553 "emission events" which poured {{convert|44.6|e6lb|t|abbr=off|sp=us}} of contaminants into the Texas sky.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=January 16, 2021|title=Living, and coughing, downwind of Texas smoke stacks|url=https://phys.org/news/2011-11-downwind-texas-stacks.html|website=phys.org|agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref>

| 1930–present ||[[Houston]]<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=hdh03 |title=Houston, TX |first=David G. |last=McComb |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>

In contrast to the cities, unincorporated rural settlements known as [[Colonia (border settlement)|colonia]]s often lack basic infrastructure and are marked by poverty.<ref name="Colonias">{{cite web |url=http://www.sos.state.tx.us/border/colonias/faqs.shtml |title=Colonias FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) |access-date=October 12, 2008 |author=Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Office of Community Affairs |publisher=Texas Secretary of State |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009044415/http://www.sos.state.tx.us/border/colonias/faqs.shtml |archive-date=October 9, 2008}}</ref> The office of the Texas Attorney General stated, in 2011, that Texas had about 2,294 colonias, and estimates about 500,000 lived in the colonias. [[Hidalgo County, Texas|Hidalgo County]], as of 2011, has the largest number of colonias.<ref>Grinberg, Emmanuella. "[http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/05/texas.colonias/index.html?hpt=hp_c1 Impoverished border town grows from shacks into community]". [[CNN]]. July 8, 2011. Retrieved on July 9, 2011.</ref> Texas has the largest number of people living in [[colonia (United States)|colonias]] of all states.<ref name="Colonias" />

Texas's [[Rio Grande Valley (Texas)|Rio Grande Valley]] has seen significant migration from across the [[U.S.–Mexico border]]. During the [[2014 American immigration crisis|2014 crisis]], many [[Central America]]ns, including unaccompanied minors traveling alone from [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], and [[El Salvador]], reached the state, overwhelming Border Patrol resources for a time. Many sought [[Right of asylum|asylum]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hennessy-Fiske |first1=Molly |last2=Carcamo |first2=Cindy |title=In Texas' Rio Grande Valley, a seemingly endless surge of immigrants |url=https://latimes.com/nation/la-na-texas-border-chaos-20140614-story.html#page=1 |date=June 16, 2014 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Nick |last1=Miroff |first2=Joshua |last2=Partlow |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/central-american-migrants-overwhelm-border-patrol-station-in-texas/2014/06/12/7359534e-2e1b-4a6b-b010-f622f1cac3f0_story.html |title=Central American migrants overwhelm Border Patrol station in Texas |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=June 12, 2014}}</ref>

In 1990, the Islamic population was about 140,000 with more recent figures putting the current number of Muslims between 350,000 and 400,000 as of 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texanonline.net/special-reports/muslim-growth-adds-to-texas-diversity |title=Texas Online: Muslim growth adds to Texas diversity |work=Texanonline.net |access-date=May 7, 2012 |archive-date=March 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326150126/http://www.texanonline.net/special-reports/muslim-growth-adds-to-texas-diversity |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated there were 313,209 Muslims as of 2020.<ref name="U.S. Religion Census" /> Texas is the fifth-largest [[Muslim]]-populated state as of 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/arts/design/dallas-museum-lands-a-rich-trove-of-islamic-art.html |title=Dallas Museum Lands a Rich Trove of Islamic Art |date=February 4, 2014 |website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 25, 2016}}</ref> The Jewish population was around 128,000 in 2008.<ref>{{cite book |title=Twentieth-century Texas: a social and cultural history |author1=Storey, John Woodrow |author2=Kelley |author3=Mary L. |publisher=University of North Texas Press |year=2008 |page=145}}</ref> In 2020, the Jewish population grew to over 176,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jewish Population in the United States by State|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-population-in-the-united-states-by-state|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018050539/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-population-in-the-united-states-by-state|archive-date=October 18, 2020|access-date=October 18, 2020 |website=jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> According to ARDA's 2020 study, there were 43 [[Chabad]] synagogues; 17,513 [[Conservative Jews]]; 8,110 [[Orthodox Jews]]; and 31,378 [[Reform Judaism|Reform Jews]]. Around 146,000 adherents of religions such as [[Hinduism]] and [[Sikhism]] lived in Texas as of 2004.<ref>Lindsey, William D.; Silk, Mark: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=NjdrZ4m_BK8C Religion and public life in the southern crossroads: showdown states]'', Altamira Press, 2004, p. 48</ref> By 2020, there were 112,153 Hindus and 20 Sikh gurdwaras; 60,882 Texans adhered to [[Buddhism]].

Texas is a "tax donor state"; in 2005, for every dollar Texans paid to the federal government in [[Income tax in the United States|federal income taxes]], the state got back about $0.94 in benefits.<ref name="TaxFound" /> To attract business, Texas has incentive programs worth $19 billion per year (2012); more than any other U.S. state.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/us/winners-and-losers-in-texas.html |title=Lines Blur as Texas Gives Industries a Bonanza|first=Louise|last=Story|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 1, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/01/us/government-incentives.html#TX |title=United States of Subsidies, Texas|work=The New York Times|date=December 1, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory Astronaut Training.jpg|thumb|Astronaut training at the [[Johnson Space Center]] in [[Houston]]]]

With large universities systems coupled with initiatives like the Texas Enterprise Fund and the [[Texas Emerging Technology Fund]], a wide array of different [[high tech]] industries have developed in Texas. The Austin area is nicknamed the "[[Silicon Hills]]" and the north Dallas area the "[[Silicon Prairie]]". Many high-tech companies are located in or have their headquarters in Texas (and [[List of companies based in Austin, Texas|Austin in particular]]), including [[Dell]], Inc.,<ref>{{cite web|last=Kanellos|first=Michael|title=Dell shifts base back to Round Rock|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/dell-shifts-base-back-to-round-rock/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=CNET}}</ref> [[Borland]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Clarke|first=Gavin|title=Borland bails out of California, moves HQ to Austin, TX|url=https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/17/borland_leaves_valley/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=theregister.com}}</ref> [[Forcepoint]],<ref>{{cite web|date=February 6, 2014|title=Websense gets $4.5M to move to Texas|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/economy/sdut-texas-austin-perry-jobs-economy-websense-2014feb06-htmlstory.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Indeed.com]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Indeed opens new North Austin office, 1,000 new jobs planned|url=https://www.kvue.com/article/money/business/indeed-opens-new-north-austin-office-1000-new-jobs-planned/269-67902537|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=kvue.com|date=March 4, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Texas Instruments]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=McKellop|first=Mario|date=May 26, 2020|title=Texas Instruments starts construction on Dallas plant|url=https://www.theburnin.com/industry/texas-instruments-begins-construction-dallas-factory-2020-5/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=The Burn-In|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Perot Systems]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Dell sells Perot Systems IT services division to Dallas firm|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/techflash/2016/03/dell-sells-perot-systems-it-services-division-to.html#:~:text=NTT%20Data%20Corp.%20has%20inked,in%20the%20works%20last%20month.&text=John%20McCain,%20CEO%20of%20NTT,will%20lead%20the%20combined%20company.|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=bizjournals.com}}</ref> [[Rackspace]] and [[AT&T]].<ref>{{cite web|date=July 21, 2014|title=Rackspace to Move into Former Texas Shopping Mall … Again|url=https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2014/07/21/rackspace-to-use-another-texas-mall-as-office-real-estate|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=Data Center Knowledge}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=June 30, 2008|title=AT&T Making a Move (Published 2008)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/technology/30phone.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=AT&T to move headquarters to Dallas|date=June 27, 2008 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25417174|access-date=December 28, 2020|publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>

The internationally known slogan "[[Don't Mess with Texas]]" began as an anti-littering [[advertising campaign|advertisement]]. Since the campaign's inception in 1986, the phrase has become "an identity statement, a declaration of Texas swagger".<ref>{{cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Manny |title=Not to Be, Um, Trifled With, Texas Guards Its Slogans |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/us/not-to-be-um-trifled-with-texas-guards-its-slogans.html?_r=0 |access-date=December 29, 2013 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 14, 2013}}</ref>

Texas has the [[Maternal Healthcare System in Texas|highest maternal mortality rate]] in the developed world, and the rate by which Texas women died from pregnancy-related complications doubled from 2010 to 2014, to 23.8 per 100,000—a rate unmatched in any other U.S. state or economically developed country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/20/texas-maternal-mortality-rate-health-clinics-funding|title=Texas has highest maternal mortality rate in developed world, study finds|last=Redden|first=Molly|date=August 20, 2016|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|issn=0261-3077|access-date=December 23, 2016}}</ref> In May 2021, the state legislature passed the [[Texas Heartbeat Act]], which banned [[abortion]] from as early as six weeks of pregnancy, except to save the life of the mother. The Act allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who assists in an abortion, except for the woman on whom the abortion is performed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abortion: Texas governor signs restrictive new law |work=BBC News |date=May 19, 2021 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57177224 |access-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Answers to Questions About the Texas Abortion Law |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/health/texas-abortion-law-facts.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/health/texas-abortion-law-facts.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited |access-date=September 2, 2021 |agency=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 1, 2021|last1=Rabin |first1=Roni Caryn }}{{cbignore}}</ref> On August 25, 2022, another law took effect that made committing abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony punishable by life in prison.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2022/08/22/1118635642/abortion-trigger-ban-tennessee-idaho-texas | title=3 more states are poised to enact abortion trigger bans this week | website=[[NPR]]| date=August 22, 2022 | last1=Kim | first1=Juliana }}</ref>

[[File:Bush terminal E.jpg|thumb|Terminal E at [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] in Houston]]Texas has 730 airports, second-most of any state in the nation. Largest in Texas by size and passengers served, [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] (DFW) is the second-largest by area in the United States, and fourth in the world with {{convert|18076|acre|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dfwairport.com/visitor/index.php?ctnid=24254 |title=Facts about DFW |access-date=October 14, 2008 |website=Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912234631/http://www.dfwairport.com/visitor/index.php?ctnid=24254 |archive-date=September 12, 2008}}</ref> In traffic, DFW airport is the busiest in the state, the fourth busiest in the United States,<ref>{{cite web |title=10 Great Places for Aviation and Aerospace |author=Jennifer LeClaire |website=Southern Business and Development |url=http://www.sb-d.com/archivesite/www.sb-d.com/issues/spring2007/features/10GreatPlacesForAviationAndAerospace.html |access-date=April 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716012226/http://www.sb-d.com/archivesite/www.sb-d.com/issues/spring2007/features/10GreatPlacesForAviationAndAerospace.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref> and sixth worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport |work=[[USA Today]]|url=http://destinations.usatoday.com/dallas/ |access-date=April 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630002132/http://destinations.usatoday.com/dallas/ |archive-date=June 30, 2007}}</ref> [[Southwest Airlines]], headquartered in Dallas, has its operations at [[Dallas Love Field]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/airborne.html |title=We Weren't Just Airborne Yesterday |date=May 2, 2007 |publisher=Southwest Airlines |access-date=June 9, 2007}}</ref> [[American Airlines Group]]'s [[American Airlines|American]] / [[American Eagle Airlines|American Eagle]], the world's largest airline in total passengers-miles transported and passenger fleet size,<ref>{{cite web |author=Investor Relations |url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=117098&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1921786&highlight== |title=American Airlines &#124; Investor Relations &#124; News Release |website=Phx.corporate-ir.net |access-date=August 2, 2014}}</ref> uses DFW as its largest and main [[Airline hub|hub]].

In the Dallas–Fort Worth area, three public transit agencies provide rail service: [[Dallas Area Rapid Transit]] (DART), [[Denton County Transportation Authority]] (DCTA), and [[Trinity Metro]]. DART began operating the first light rail system in the Southwest United States in 1996.<ref>{{cite news |last=Myerson |first=Allen R. |date=June 14, 1996 |title=Dallas Opening Southwest's First Rail Transit |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01EFD81739F937A25755C0A960958260 |access-date=May 11, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919043630/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01EFD81739F937A25755C0A960958260 |archive-date=September 19, 2008}}</ref> The [[Trinity Railway Express]] (TRE) [[commuter rail]] service, which connects Fort Worth and Dallas, is provided by [[Trinity Metro]] and DART.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trinity Railroad Express |url=http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/ |access-date=June 11, 2008}}</ref> Trinity Metro also operates the [[TEXRail]] commuter rail line, connecting downtown Fort Worth and Northeast Tarrant County to DFW Airport.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 4, 2019|title=TEXRail to begin service Thursday after delay due to government shutdown|work=WFAA|url=https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/tarrant-county/texrail-to-begin-service-thursday-after-delay-due-to-government-shutdown/287-626199928|access-date=April 10, 2019}}</ref> The [[A-train (Denton County)|A-train]] commuter rail line, operated by DCTA, acts as an extension of the DART Green line into Denton County.<ref>{{cite web |title=DART inMotion 2011 |url=https://www.dart.org/about/inmotion/fall11/4.htm |access-date=April 10, 2019 |archive-date=April 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411031227/https://www.dart.org/about/inmotion/fall11/4.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the Austin area, [[Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] operates a commuter rail service known as [[Capital MetroRail]] to the northwestern suburbs. The [[Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas]] (METRO) operates light rail lines called [[METRORail]] in the Houston area.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About METRO|url=https://www.ridemetro.org:443/Pages/AboutMetro.aspx|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=ridemetro.org|language=en-US}}</ref>

Texas has a plural [[executive branch]] system limiting the power of the governor, which is a weak executive compared to some other states. Except for the [[Secretary of State of Texas|secretary of state]], voters elect executive officers independently; candidates are directly answerable to the public, not the governor.<ref name="pluralexec">{{cite web |year=2005 |title=The Plural Executive |website=Texas Politics |publisher=University of Texas |url=https://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/1_9_0.html |access-date=May 7, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928082847/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/1_9_0.html |archive-date=September 28, 2008}}</ref> This election system has led to some executive branches split between parties and reduced the ability of the governor to carry out a program. When [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] president [[George W. Bush]] served as Texas's governor, the state had a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] lieutenant governor, [[Bob Bullock]]. The executive branch positions consist of the [[List of Governors of Texas|governor]], [[Lieutenant Governor of Texas|lieutenant governor]], comptroller of public accounts, land commissioner, [[Texas Attorney General|attorney general]], agriculture commissioner, the three-member [[Texas Railroad Commission]], the State Board of Education, and the secretary of state.<ref name="pluralexec" />

[[File:37 Lyndon Johnson 3x4.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lyndon B. Johnson]] of Texas, 36th president of the United States]]

[[File:GeorgeWBush.jpg|thumb|upright|[[George W. Bush]] of Texas, 43rd president of the United States]]

The [[2003 Texas redistricting]] of Congressional districts led by Republican [[Tom DeLay]], was called by ''The New York Times'' "an extreme case of partisan [[gerrymandering]]".<ref name="NYTGerry">{{cite news |title=The Texas Gerrymander |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 1, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/opinion/01wed2.html}}</ref> A group of Democratic legislators, the "Texas Eleven", fled the state in a [[quorum]]-busting effort to prevent the legislature from acting, but was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ridder |first=Knight |title=11 Texas Senate Democrats Take Cue from House, Bolt to Avoid Redistricting |work=Houston Chronicle |date=July 29, 2003 |url=https://www.allbusiness.com/government/elections-politics-politics-political-parties/10366221-1.html |access-date=January 7, 2009}}{{dead link|date=January 2011}}</ref> The state had already redistricted following the 2000 census. Despite these efforts, the legislature passed a map heavily in favor of Republicans, based on 2000 data and ignoring the estimated nearly one million new residents in the state since then. Career attorneys and analysts at the Department of Justice objected to the plan as diluting the votes of African American and Hispanic voters, but political appointees overrode them and approved it.<ref name="NYTGerry" /> Legal challenges to the redistricting reached the national [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] in the case ''[[League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry]]'' (2006), but the court ruled in favor of the state (and Republicans).<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/washington/28cnd-scotus.html |title=Justices Back Most G.O.P. Changes to Texas Districts |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 28, 2006}}</ref>

In the [[Texas elections, 2014|2014 Texas elections]], the [[Tea Party movement]] made large gains, with numerous Tea Party favorites being elected into office, including [[Dan Patrick (politician)|Dan Patrick]] as lieutenant governor,<ref name="Fernandez">{{cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Manny |title=Lieutenant Governor Loses Texas Runoff as Tea Party Holds Sway |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/us/politics/tea-party-favorite-beats-lieutenant-governor-in-texas.html |date=May 27, 2014 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Koppel |first1=Nathan |title=Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Moves Quickly to Advance Conservative Agenda |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-moves-quickly-to-advance-conservative-agenda-1421883867 |date=January 21, 2015 | work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref> [[Ken Paxton]] as attorney general,<ref name="Fernandez" /><ref name="Grissom">{{cite news | last1=Grissom | first1=Brandi |title=Tea Party Conservatives Win Top GOP Runoff Contests |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2014/05/28/tea-party-conservatives-win-top-gop-runoff-contest/ |date=May 28, 2014 |work=[[The Texas Tribune]]}}</ref> in addition to numerous other candidates<ref name="Grissom" /> including conservative Republican [[Greg Abbott]] as governor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Manny |title=Texas' New Governor Echoes the Plans of Perry |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/us/politics/new-texas-governor-greg-abbott-expected-to-continue-on-perrys-path.html |date=January 20, 2015 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>