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The Fifteenth Amendment, Ratified February 3, 1870:

“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…”

Joint Resolution Proposing the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, 02/26/1869

From the series: Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789 - 2011

Passed by Congress February 26, 1869, and ratified one hundred and forty-five years ago on February 3, 1870, the 15th amendment granted African American men the right to vote.

To former abolitionists and to the Radical Republicans in Congress who fashioned Reconstruction after the Civil War, the 15th amendment, enacted in 1870, appeared to signify the fulfillment of all promises to African Americans. Set free by the 13th amendment, with citizenship guaranteed by the 14th amendment, black males were given the vote by the 15th amendment. From that point on, the freedmen were generally expected to fend for themselves.

Following a century of discriminatory voting practices, President Lyndon B. Johnson, urged Congress on March 15, 1965, to pass legislation “which will make it impossible to thwart the 15th amendment.” He reminded Congress that “we cannot have government for all the people until we first make certain it is government of and by all the people.” The Voting Rights Act of 1965, extended in 1970, 1975, and 1982, abolished all remaining deterrents to exercising the franchise and authorized Federal supervision of voter registration where necessary.

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