Jonah Patel
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed on February 3, 1870, was a landmark moment in the nation's history, granting African American men the right to vote. This amendment, the last of the Reconstruction Amendments, prohibited the federal government or any state from denying or restricting a male citizen's right to vote based on their race, colour, or previous condition of servitude. While this was a significant step forward, it was not without its challenges, as many African Americans still faced barriers to voting due to discriminatory practices and laws. The right to vote has been a contested issue in the US since its founding, and amendments like the Fifteenth Amendment represent crucial milestones in the ongoing struggle for equality and voting rights for all citizens.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | 15th Amendment |
| Other Names | Fifteenth Amendment, Amendment XV, "The Right to Vote" |
| Year | 1870 |
| Date Ratified | 3rd February 1870 |
| Voting Rights Granted To | African American men |
| Voting Rights Granted From | All male citizens regardless of their ethnicity or prior slave status |
| Text | 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. |
| Voting Rights Act | Extended in 1970, 1975 and 1982 |
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What You'll Learn
- The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote in 1870
- The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920
- The 24th Amendment eliminated poll taxes in 1964
- The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 in 1971
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited voter discrimination based on race, colour, or language
The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote in 1870
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on February 3, 1870, granted African American men the right to vote. Before this, only white men were allowed to vote, and even then, they had to meet certain property requirements. The Fifteenth Amendment was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment, coming after the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship to formerly enslaved Americans.
The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or restricting a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." The official text of the amendment states:
> 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.
The passage of the Fifteenth Amendment was celebrated by Black communities and abolitionist societies, many of whom believed that their work was complete and that Black rights had been secured. President Ulysses S. Grant called the amendment "the greatest civil change" and "the most important event that has occurred since the nation came to life."
Despite the Fifteenth Amendment, African Americans still faced barriers to voting due to state constitutions and laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, "grandfather clauses," and intimidation by groups like the Ku Klux Klan. It wasn't until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, along with its extensions and amendments, that these barriers were addressed and federal supervision of voter registration was authorized to enforce the right to vote for all citizens regardless of race or gender.
The 24th Amendment: Abolishing the Poll Tax
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The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on August 18, 1920, granted women the right to vote. The amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878, and its passage took decades of agitation and protest by women's rights activists. The campaign for women's suffrage was long and difficult, with supporters employing a variety of strategies to achieve their goal. Some pursued a state-by-state strategy, while others challenged male-only voting laws in court or used more confrontational tactics such as picketing and hunger strikes.
The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), formed in 1890, played a key role in the campaign for women's suffrage. NAWSA directed its efforts towards winning state-level support for suffrage and electing congressmen who supported women's voting rights. However, despite their efforts, no state granted women suffrage between 1896 and 1910, and NAWSA shifted its focus towards the passage of a national constitutional amendment. Carrie Chapman Catt, who became president of NAWSA in 1900, developed "The Winning Plan", which involved a multi-pronged strategy to secure voting rights for women at both the state and federal levels.
By 1916, almost all major suffrage organizations supported the goal of a constitutional amendment. In 1918, a suffrage bill was introduced with President Wilson's support and passed the House but failed in the Senate by two votes. In 1919, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the amendment, and it was then submitted to the states for ratification. On August 18, 1920, with the approval of Tennessee, the 19th Amendment was ratified, guaranteeing women's right to vote nationwide.
The 19th Amendment reads: "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 sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." While the amendment granted women the right to vote, it did not ensure full enfranchisement, and many women, particularly African Americans and other minority women, continued to face barriers to voting due to discriminatory state laws. It was not until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that these barriers were addressed, and women of colour gained more equal access to the ballot box.
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The 24th Amendment eliminated poll taxes in 1964
The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1964, eliminated poll taxes as a requirement for voting in federal elections. The official text of the amendment states:
> The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Poll taxes were introduced in the late 19th century after the American Civil War and during the Reconstruction Era. States across the former Confederacy imposed a series of laws that restricted the civil liberties of the newly-freed African American population. These poll taxes were used as a form of voter suppression, preventing African Americans and poor whites from voting. Despite criticism of poll taxes during the Roosevelt Administration and by President Truman in the 1930s and 1940s, it was not until the administration of John F. Kennedy that an amendment to repeal poll taxes was introduced by Congress in August 1962.
The ratification process for the 24th Amendment was relatively quick, taking just over a year from August 1962 to January 1964. Despite concerns that Southern states would reject the amendment due to their historical use of poll taxes, 38 states ultimately ratified it. President Lyndon B. Johnson praised the amendment as a "triumph of liberty over restriction" and a "verification of people's rights". The 24th Amendment was an important step in advancing civil rights and expanding voting rights, especially for African Americans who had long been disenfranchised by discriminatory laws and practices.
The elimination of poll taxes through the 24th Amendment was further strengthened by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited voter discrimination based on race, colour, or membership in a language minority group. Together, these developments helped to advance the pursuit of voting rights and ensured that voting became a constitutional right for all Americans, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
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The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 in 1971
The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on July 1, 1971, lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years. The amendment states:
> The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
The push to lower the voting age began in the 1940s, with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt endorsing congressional proposals. However, it wasn't until the 1960s that the movement gained momentum, driven by increasing opposition to the Vietnam War and the military draft, which conscripted young men between 18 and 21 to serve in the armed forces. The slogan "old enough to fight, old enough to vote" captured the sentiment of many who felt that if citizens were old enough to serve their country in the military, they should also have the right to vote.
During this time, President Lyndon Johnson proposed granting 18-year-olds the right to vote, and Senator Birch Bayh began hearings on extending voting rights to 18-year-olds. In 1970, President Richard Nixon added a provision to lower the voting age in the extensions of the Voting Rights Act. However, the Supreme Court case of Oregon v. Mitchell struck down the provision for state and local elections, upholding it only for federal elections.
Fearing confusion over voter eligibility for the 1972 election, Congress proposed a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18 for all elections. On March 23, 1971, Congress passed the proposed amendment, and it was ratified by the states on July 1, 1971, becoming the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment ensured that all American citizens aged 18 and older had the right to vote in all elections, addressing a significant domestic controversy of the time.
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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited voter discrimination based on race, colour, or language
The Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which was ratified on February 3, 1870, granted voting rights to African American men. The official text states:
> 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.
However, many African Americans were unable to exercise this right due to discriminatory practices and laws such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers. In response to these barriers, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited voter discrimination based on race, colour, or language minority status. This act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965, and it aimed to address the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 specifically targeted literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting and provided for the appointment of federal examiners empowered to register qualified citizens to vote in designated jurisdictions. Section 2 of the act contains two key protections against voter discrimination: firstly, it prohibits intentional discrimination based on race or colour in voting, and secondly, it forbids election practices that result in the denial or abridgment of the right to vote due to race or colour. These protections were further strengthened by the 1982 amendment to Section 2, which clarified that any electoral law, practice, or structure that interacts with social and historical conditions to cause inequality in opportunities for black and white voters to elect their preferred representatives is prohibited.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also included Section 5, which required certain states with a history of voter discrimination to obtain federal approval before implementing new voting restrictions. Additionally, the act mandated that election materials be provided in languages other than English, ensuring accessibility for language minority groups. The legislation was a significant step forward in ensuring equal voting rights for all citizens, regardless of race, colour, or language.
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Frequently asked questions
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified on February 3, 1870, granted African American men the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women in America the right to vote.
The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, removed poll taxes as a requirement to vote.
The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age for all elections to 18.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 abolished all remaining deterrents to exercising the right to vote and enforced federal laws that protected citizens' voting rights.
