Except for the United States Constitution, the Texas Constitution of 1876 constitutes the supreme law of Texas. The modern constitution of 1876 has been in force for almost one hundred and forty years now. This is the sixth constitution drafted since Texas gained independence from Mexico in 1836. The constitution delegates and assigns powers to the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of our Texas government. Although the Constitution gives the Texas government authority, it places limits on that power by dividing it among the three branches. Although the 1876 Constitution is still in effect today, major reforms must be made to help effectively govern Texas' growing population. The Texas Constitution of 1876 has few strong points. However, it constitutes the fundamental structure of Texas' democratic government. Governor EJ Davis, before the Constitution of 1876, caused tension in Texas when he enacted martial law to help implement his executive orders (Moneyhon). Davis and his administration were not popular and assumed a lot of control over policy matters. Dissatisfied with the Second Reconstruction Constitution of 1869, Democrats elected ninety delegates, eighty-three of whom actually attended the constitutional convention. About half of the delegates were members of Texas Grange, a farmers' organization; these members transposed their vision of a strict economy into the revision of the 1869 constitution (Ericson). Democrats made sure to implement sweeping revisions that clearly defined Texas state government powers (Ericson). The delegates continued to limit the role of government influence and, as a result, the new constitution helped to reduce the government's flexibility in enacting laws, passing bills, and passing resolutions. The Texas Constitution of 1876 has strengths such as limiting the government's role in civic affairs and setting clear limits on the state's power of authority. Despite these advantages, the constitution was drawn up in the 19th century. Considering that we now live in the 21st century, some believe that the 1876 constitution is simply outdated. Add the fact that the "modern" constitution is outdated to the amount of jargon-filled pages and you end up with a problem the size of Texas. The daunting legislative procedures, defined by the 1876 constitution, proved quite difficult to pass bills and pass resolutions. Although some revisions have been made through constitutional conventions, reform is needed to provide Texas with an effective governing body..