Explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution

I need a Research/Argumentative Paper.

Students will write a research/argumentative essay, 500-750 words in length, from the topic below. The purpose of the project is to give students an opportunity to discuss a key political science concept, and to show a basic understanding of academic research and reporting skills. The project consists of producing a 500-750 word essay on one of the provided topics (see below), as well as a works cited page for sources containing information used in the essay. The assignment is to be formatted according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Students should research this style in order to properly format the assignment; papers not formatted properly will not receive a passing grade.

***Be sure to include a strong thesis statement (debatable claim) as a part of your introduction paragraph. Please see thesis statement information below.

Students should use Courier or New Courier 12 point as the paper’s font, double space the text, and create one inch margins on all four sides of the page. In addition, the assignment should be formatted according to MLA style for papers with no title page.

Writing Assignment Topic

What are the key components of consideration that went into forming the Texas Constitution?

Key Areas to address include:

  • Explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution.
  • Describe state and local political systems and their relationship with the federal government.
  • Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice in Texas.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Texas government.

Writing a Government Research/Argumentative Essay

Thesis statement information

The Thesis Statement

The most important and most challenging task for students writing a research paper is developing a thesis. A thesis is a non-trivial, contestable, specific claim about political phenomena that can be proven or defended through the analysis of primary source material.

(1) Your thesis must be non-trivial

A reader will want evidence that you are exploring an important question or topic. Explorations of the unimportant (e.g., “Canada’s orange industry has been underappreciated”) will not entice any but the most insensate readers. Readers will recoil, in particular, from faux theses that merely state what the author has done (e.g., “I have researched the European Union’s trade policy”).

(2) Your thesis must be contestable

Do not seek to prove the obvious (e.g., African American voters disproportionately support Democratic candidates for the presidency). The best theses make counter-intuitive claims (e.g., revolutions often occur when conditions improve in a country after a long period of deprivation). There must be, at a minimum, alternative explanations for the phenomena you are exploring or different possible answers to the question you are posing. A good research paper directly engages these competing arguments by demonstrating that its explanation or answer is the most plausible.