Lone Star Politics:Tradition and Transformation in Texas

Texas is in a bit of a dilemma -- it is a rapidly growing state saddled with a constitution that was written by conservative farmers in 1876. Texas's government struggles to meet the needs of an increasingly diversified population and the challenges of an economy driven by large multi-national corporations, many on the cutting edge of the information age. How has Texas developed and flourished over the years, but failed to fully respond to these changes?

Lone Star Politics explicitly focuses on the disconnect between the outsized myth of Texas with its legendary political history and the reality of the state's day-to-day governance to help explain who gets what resources and how they are distributed. The engaging and accessible writing style makes this a book that students of all levels will actually want to read. And when they do, they'll get both description and analysis, a balance of institutions and behavior, as well as comparisons of Texas with other states.

Texas vs. _______ feature boxes use narrative, tabular data, and critical thinking questions to show how Texas works differently from the rest of the country, while Texas Legends; boxes show how certain celebrated figures and institutions influence Texans and their identity as well as shape Texas politics today.