Which Amendment grants the right to vote regardless of race?

Which Amendment grants the right to vote regardless of race?

• A. Fifteenth Amendment
• B. Nineteenth Amendment
• C. Twenty-fourth Amendment
• D. Twenty-second Amendment

Answer: (A)

The Fifteenth Amendment is significant because it explicitly prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Ratified in 1870, it was a crucial step in the post-Civil War era aimed at ensuring that African American men could participate in the electoral process after years of systemic disenfranchisement. In contrast, the Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, focuses on granting women the right to vote, while the Twenty-fourth Amendment, ratified in 1964, abolished poll taxes in federal elections—though it does not address voting rights concerning race. The Twenty-second Amendment sets term limits for the presidency and does not relate to voting rights at all. Thus, the correct answer reflects the specific focus of the Fifteenth Amendment on racial equality in voting.

The Fifteenth Amendment is significant because it explicitly prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Ratified in 1870, it was a crucial step in the post-Civil War era aimed at ensuring that African American men could participate in the electoral process after years of systemic disenfranchisement.

In contrast, the Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, focuses on granting women the right to vote, while the Twenty-fourth Amendment, ratified in 1964, abolished poll taxes in federal elections—though it does not address voting rights concerning race. The Twenty-second Amendment sets term limits for the presidency and does not relate to voting rights at all. Thus, the correct answer reflects the specific focus of the Fifteenth Amendment on racial equality in voting.