What is the 15th Amendment in simple terms?
The 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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The 15th Amendment guaranteed African-American men the right to vote.
Who opposed the 15th Amendment?
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who opposed the amendment, and the American Woman Suffrage Association of Lucy Stone and Henry Browne Blackwell, who supported it. The two groups remained divided until the 1890s.
Why is 15th Amendment important?
Although the Fifteenth Amendment does not play a major, independent role in cases today, its most important role might be the power it gives Congress to enact national legislation that protects against race-based denials or abridgements of the right to vote.
What is the14th amendment?
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Why did the 15th Amendment fail?
The Fifteenth Amendment had a significant loophole: it did not grant suffrage to all men, but only prohibited discrimination on the basis of race and former slave status. States could require voters to pass literacy tests or pay poll taxes — difficult tasks for the formerly enslaved, who had little education or money.
What affected the 15th Amendment have on the American political system?
Fifteenth Amendment, amendment (1870) to the Constitution of the United States that guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The amendment complemented and followed in the wake of the passage of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments, which …
How was the 15th Amendment challenged?
Starting around 1900, states found workarounds to the law, enacting poll tax laws and literacy tests as means of restricting the Black vote. Also, intimidation and violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan greatly diminished Black voting. From 1901 to 1928, no Black members served in Congress.
Why is 15th Amendment controversial?
Therefore, the introduction of the Fifteenth Amendment sparked controversy between suffragists who felt that their rights were not as prioritized as the rights of African-Americans (Kerr, 1995, p. 65).
What were the benefits and drawbacks of the Fifteenth Amendment?
What is the19th amendment?
Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. The 19th amendment legally guarantees American women the right to vote.
What are the 13th 14th and 15th amendments?
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment gave citizenship to all people born in the US. The 15th Amendment gave Black Americans the right to vote.
How did Southerners get around the 15th Amendment?
Through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, Southern states were able to effectively disenfranchise African Americans.