Eleanor Finch
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution, which was ratified on February 3, 1870, prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This amendment was a significant milestone in the Reconstruction Era, ensuring that the right to vote could not be restricted due to race or colour and marking a pivotal moment in the expansion of civil rights for African Americans.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of ratification | 3rd February 1870 |
| Alternative name | Amendment XV |
| What it grants | The right to vote for all male citizens regardless of their ethnicity or prior slave status |
| What it prohibits | Federal or state government from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude |
| What it enables | Congress to enforce the article by appropriate legislation |
| Number of amendments to the Constitution | 27 |
| Number of the Bill of Rights Amendments | 10 |
| Date of ratification of the Bill of Rights Amendments | 15th December 1791 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Fifteenth Amendment grants US citizens the right to vote
- The Amendment was certified as part of the Constitution in 1870
- It was passed after a difficult ratification fight and Democrat opposition
- The Amendment was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment
- It was interpreted narrowly by the Supreme Court in the 19th and 20th centuries
The Fifteenth Amendment grants US citizens the right to vote
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870. The Amendment, which is part of the Constitution, grants US citizens the right to vote and prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or restricting this right based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." In other words, it ensures that all male citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or history of slavery, are allowed to vote.
Before the Fifteenth Amendment, the right to vote was often restricted based on race and property ownership. Only white males who owned property of a certain value were typically allowed to vote. While some states and cities allowed free African Americans and women to vote, they were few and scattered across the Northern states. The Fifteenth Amendment aimed to address this racial inequality by ensuring that all citizens, regardless of race, had an equal right to participate in elections.
The Amendment was a significant step in the struggle for racial equality and the fulfilment of promises made to African Americans after the Civil War. It was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment, following the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship. Together, these Amendments sought to provide African Americans with the full rights and protections of citizenship, including the right to vote.
Despite the importance of the Fifteenth Amendment, it faced opposition during its ratification process, with zero Democrats in favour of its approval in the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the late nineteenth century, the United States Supreme Court interpreted the Amendment narrowly, and discriminatory voting practices continued in many Southern states. "Jim Crow" laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, and the activities of the Ku Klux Klan all contributed to the disenfranchisement of African American voters in the South.
It wasn't until the twentieth century that the Court began to interpret the Amendment more broadly, striking down discriminatory provisions and dismantling systems that prevented African Americans from exercising their constitutional right to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 further strengthened the protections of the Fifteenth Amendment by providing federal oversight of elections in discriminatory jurisdictions and creating legal remedies for those affected by voting discrimination.
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The Amendment was certified as part of the Constitution in 1870
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution was certified as part of the Constitution in 1870. This amendment prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". In other words, it grants the right to vote for all male citizens regardless of their ethnicity or prior slave status.
The Fifteenth Amendment was passed in the aftermath of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era that followed, during which Congress debated the rights of millions of black freedmen. By 1869, amendments had been passed to abolish slavery, provide citizenship, and ensure equal protection under the laws. The election of Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency in 1868 also convinced many Republicans of the importance of protecting the franchise of black male voters.
On February 26, 1869, Republicans proposed a compromise amendment that would ban franchise restrictions based on race, colour, or previous condition of servitude. This amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870, and certified as part of the Constitution on March 30, 1870, after surviving a difficult ratification fight and opposition from Democrats. In the House of Representatives, 144 Republicans voted to approve the 15th Amendment, with zero Democrats in favour, 39 no votes, and seven abstentions. In the Senate, 33 Republicans voted to approve, again with no support from the Democrats.
The Fifteenth Amendment was a significant step forward in the expansion of civil rights for African Americans, and many hailed it as the nation's "second birth" and a "greater revolution than that of 1776". It is worth noting, however, that the interpretation and enforcement of this amendment have been contested throughout history. Despite the amendment, discriminatory practices and laws, such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and the intimidation tactics of the Ku Klux Klan, prevented many African Americans from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
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It was passed after a difficult ratification fight and Democrat opposition
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude". It was ratified on 3 February 1870, as the third and final Reconstruction Amendment. The amendment was passed by Congress on 26 February 1869, and certified as part of the Constitution on 30 March 1870, after enduring a difficult ratification fight and opposition from Democrats.
The 15th Amendment was passed in the aftermath of the American Civil War and during the Reconstruction Era that followed. In the final years of the war and the Reconstruction Era, Congress debated the rights of millions of black freedmen. By 1869, amendments had been passed to abolish slavery, grant citizenship, and provide equal protection under the laws. However, the election of Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency in 1868 convinced Republicans that protecting the franchise of black male voters was crucial for the party's future.
The 15th Amendment faced significant opposition from Democrats during the ratification process. In the House of Representatives, 144 Republicans voted to approve the amendment, with zero Democrats in favour, 39 no votes, and seven abstentions. In the Senate, 33 Republicans voted to approve, again with no Democrats in favour. Some Radical Republicans, such as Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, abstained from voting because the amendment did not prohibit literacy tests and poll taxes.
Despite the opposition, the 15th Amendment was eventually ratified by the required three-fourths of the states. Nevada was the first state to ratify the amendment on 1 March 1869, and Southern states controlled by Radical Reconstruction governments, such as North Carolina, also swiftly ratified. Newly elected President Ulysses S. Grant strongly endorsed the amendment, and Congress mandated that Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia ratify it as a precondition for regaining congressional representation.
The 15th Amendment was a significant step forward for racial equality in the United States, giving Black people access to the ballot. However, it did not end the fight for voting rights, as states enacted laws and policies to restrict voting access for racial minorities. The amendment's history demonstrates that rights that are achieved can also be taken away, and ongoing efforts are needed to protect and expand voting rights.
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The Amendment was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution, which was passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870, was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment. The Reconstruction Amendments were the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments passed after the Civil War to expand civil rights for the millions of black freedmen. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship, and the 15th Amendment granted voting rights.
The 15th Amendment prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." The official text of the Amendment is as follows:
> The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Before the 15th Amendment, it was common for states to restrict voting rights based on race, property ownership, or education. The Amendment was a significant step towards racial equality, as it ensured that all male citizens, regardless of race or prior slave status, had the right to vote. However, it is important to note that the Amendment did not confer the right of suffrage upon anyone inherently. Instead, it prevented the federal government and states from giving preference to one citizen over another based on race when it came to voting rights.
Despite the 15th Amendment, African Americans continued to face barriers to voting due to discriminatory practices and laws, such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and the rise of ""Jim Crow" laws in the Southern states. These laws created new requirements for voter registration, resulting in the disenfranchisement of most black voters and many poor whites. It was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that these discriminatory practices were abolished and federal supervision of voter registration was authorized.
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It was interpreted narrowly by the Supreme Court in the 19th and 20th centuries
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified on February 3, 1870, prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude". Despite the significance of the Fifteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court interpreted it narrowly in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In United States v. Reese (1876), the Supreme Court interpreted the Fifteenth Amendment narrowly, upholding ostensibly race-neutral limitations on suffrage, such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and a grandfather clause exempting citizens from voting requirements if their grandfathers had been registered voters. The Court stated that the amendment does not confer the right to vote but instead prohibits its restriction based on race. This interpretation set a precedent for Southern states to adopt measures that excluded Black Americans from voting, leading to the rise of "'Jim Crow' laws" that undermined the constitutional liberties of African Americans.
The Supreme Court's narrow interpretation of the Fifteenth Amendment continued into the early 20th century, with the Court refusing to intervene in the use of discriminatory measures such as poll taxes and literacy tests. As a result, by the 20th century, most African Americans in the South had little to no electoral power. However, this began to change with a series of Supreme Court decisions in the first half of the 20th century that slowly eroded discriminatory voting laws and restrictions.
In Guinn v. United States (1915), the Supreme Court struck down the grandfather clause as unconstitutional, and in the "Texas primary cases" from 1927 to 1953, the Court gradually eliminated White-only primary elections. The Twenty-fourth Amendment (1962) banned poll taxes in federal elections, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated all forms of discrimination in federal, state, and local elections. These changes marked a shift towards a broader interpretation of the Fifteenth Amendment, ensuring that the rights guaranteed by the amendment were more fully realised for African Americans.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the 15th Amendment is part of the US Constitution. It was ratified on February 3, 1870, and certified on March 30, 1870.
The 15th Amendment prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote based on "race, colour, or previous condition of servitude".
The 15th Amendment was significant as it granted voting rights to all male citizens, regardless of their race or prior slave status. African Americans called it the nation's "second birth", and it was seen as a crucial step towards racial equality. However, despite the amendment, many African Americans were still disenfranchised due to discriminatory practices and laws, such as poll taxes and literacy tests.
