what did the fifteenth amendment do
Social Studies · Middle School · Tue Nov 03 2020
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The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1870. It addressed voting rights, particularly with regard to race and color. The main provisions of the Fifteenth Amendment are as follows:
1. Grant of Voting Rights: "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."
2. Empowerment of Congress: "The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
The primary purpose of the Fifteenth Amendment was to protect the voting rights of African American men, particularly in the Southern states, where discriminatory practices and laws, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, were used to disenfranchise African American voters.