Sources
- https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/15th-amendment
The National Archives provides the official text of the Fifteenth Amendment, along with historical context and significance, making it an authoritative source for understanding the amendment's ratification and impact. - https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/fifteenth-amendment
History.com offers a detailed overview of the Fifteenth Amendment, including its historical background, the challenges African Americans faced in voting, and its connection to the Reconstruction Era, providing reliable context for the blog post. - https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/reconstruction-and-its-aftermath/
The Library of Congress provides primary sources and essays on Reconstruction and its aftermath, including the Fifteenth Amendment's role in African American enfranchisement and the subsequent discriminatory practices, supporting the post's claims. - https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws
The U.S. Department of Justice outlines the history of federal voting rights laws, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aligns with the blog post's discussion on how the VRA addressed barriers to African American voting. - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fifteenth-Amendment
Encyclopaedia Britannica provides a comprehensive and authoritative entry on the Fifteenth Amendment, detailing its passage, significance, and the challenges African Americans faced in exercising their voting rights, reinforcing the post's content.
Key Points
- The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870, granting African American men the right to vote.
- The amendment prohibited voting discrimination based on race, color, or previous servitude conditions.
- Despite the amendment, African Americans faced significant barriers like poll taxes and literacy tests, especially in Southern states.
- The Fifteenth Amendment did not extend voting rights to women of any race.
- The Reconstruction Act encouraged African American men to vote and even hold public office, but these gains were short-lived due to discriminatory practices.
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to eliminate discriminatory voting barriers like literacy tests and poll taxes.
- The Voting Rights Act introduced federal oversight in voter registration in areas with low African American voter turnout.
- Poll taxes were banned in federal elections in 1964 and in state elections in 1966 by the Supreme Court.
- The Voting Rights Act significantly increased African American voter turnout by legally challenging previous restrictions.
- Today, the Fifteenth Amendment's impact is less significant as broader laws now protect voting rights for all citizens.
Summary
The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, granted African American men the right to vote, marking a key milestone during the Reconstruction Era. Despite this, discriminatory practices like poll taxes and literacy tests persisted, particularly in Southern states, until the 1965 Voting Rights Act abolished these barriers and enforced federal oversight. While the amendment was groundbreaking, its impact was limited for nearly a century until broader civil rights legislation ensured more equitable voting rights for all.
What Is the Fifteenth Amendment?
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1870, during the Reconstruction Era. The clause grants the right to vote to African American men.
Discrimination against African Americans
The discrimination against African American people was especially harsh before Amendment XV was added.
Known as a Reconstruction Amendment, it enfranchised African American men, but all women from all races still could not vote.
However, black people didn’t see the constitutional amendment’s benefit for nearly a century and were forced to campaign vociferously for their civil rights in the interim.
Southern states were more prevalent in disenfranchising African American people.
This was done through things like a poll tax, literacy tests, and other discriminatory practices.
The Reconstruction Act
The Reconstruction Act was passed during the period after which the American Civil War had taken place. It was a time when African American men were fully encouraged to vote.
In subsequent years, they were even elected to serve in public office. This was only possible in the Confederate States of America.
However, this didn’t last long, and other states’ efforts to continue having African American men in office were unfruitful. This was due to the rise of violence, literacy tests, and poll taxes that made it impossible for them to continue serving.
It led almost all African Americans in office and all others to be disenfranchised. The Voting Rights Act removed registration and voting prerequisites in 1965.
This meant that changes could be made in certain jurisdictions, especially Southern states.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA)
President Lyndon B Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965. This Act’s main aim was to terminate all the barriers set due to discrimination at the state and local levels.
The obstacles prevented African American men from participating in voting and deprived them of their civil rights. To end the discrimination, the first thing the VRA did was to terminate the literacy tests used.
The other change it brought about was the introduction of voter registration’s federal oversight. This was done in regions where the number of registered African American voters was less than 50 percent of their population.
It gave the United States attorney general the power to look into poll taxes being used in the state and local elections.
Get Smarter on US News, History, and the Constitution
The year before, in 1964, poll taxes were banned in federal elections, and then they were prohibited in state elections in 1966 by the United States Supreme Court.
The passing of the VRA vastly reduced the power of law enforcement at the state and local levels.
It also made a considerable change in the voter turnout of the African American people since it enabled them to legally challenge all the voting restrictions that were there before.
However, in modern times, the 15th Amendment’s role isn’t as significant because broader sources govern the right to vote to all people, not just a select few.
