15th Amendment | What is the Fifteenth Amendment?
The Fifteenth Amendment in the Constitution is the third of three Reconstruction amendments granting enfranchisement or the right to vote to men regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Read the Additional AmendmentsFifteenth Amendment
Section 1. 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. Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
What is the 15th Amendment?
The 15th Amendment protects the rights of men to vote regardless of race, color, or previous servitude.
The Reconstruction Era
Reconstruction was the time after the Civil War to unite the country. The 15th Amendment was the last of the amendments in this time to guarantee civil rights for the formerly enslaved.
When Did Reconstruction End
Uncover the successes and the downfalls of Reconstruction and the challenges of rebuilding the nation and ensuring equal rights for African Americans.
Reconstruction Amendments
The Reconstruction Amendments are comprised of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. They were ratified during the era of Reconstruction and were an attempt to both unify the Union after Civil War and protect the freedoms of African Americans after the war.
The 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States except as a punishment for crime.
The 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendments grants all people born or naturalized in the United States citizenship.
The 15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment protects the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It excludes gender or sex.