Military officers gathered the available materials and published the Texas Constitution of 1869. The new document declared the U.S. Constitution the supreme law of the land. Slavery was abolished and equality of the law was extended to all persons.
Explanation:
The Constitution of 1866 was invalidated after Radical Republicans took control of the U.S. Congress and imposed military governments on the former Confederate states. As a condition to reentering the Union, states had to draft new constitutions acceptable under the Reconstruction Acts. However, the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1869 dissolved over factional differences without drafting a final document. Military officers gathered the available materials and published the Texas Constitution of 1869. The new document declared the U.S. Constitution the supreme law of the land. Slavery was abolished and equality of the law was extended to all persons. Legislative changes included extending terms of Texas Senators to six years and legislative sessions would now be held every year. In the executive branch, the attorney general and secretary of state were now appointed by the governor, with all other officials elected by popular vote. The number of Supreme Court justices was reduced to three with the terms shortened to nine years. All judicial offices were now appointive. The amendment procedure was unchanged from the Texas Constitution of 1866. The constitution also included a compulsory school attendance law and provided for state supervision of education. While it provided a hospitable environment for the civil rights of newly freed African Americans and an activist government, the Radical Republican Constitution was able to garner public support needed for approval only because those with Confederate sympathies, the majority Anglo agrarians, were barred from voting.
