Which amendment extended voting rights to African American men?

Which amendment extended voting rights to African American men?

• A. 14th Amendment
• B. 15th Amendment
• C. 19th Amendment
• D. 22nd Amendment

Answer: (B)

Extending the vote to African American men happened with the Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870. It prohibits denying the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, making Black male suffrage a constitutional right. This change came during Reconstruction as the nation rebuilt after the Civil War, building on the ideas of citizenship and equality established earlier in the amendments. Keep in mind that, even with this protection, many states used other tactics to hinder Black voters for many decades, which later civil rights efforts would challenge. The other amendments address different issues: one defines citizenship and equal protection, another protects women’s right to vote, and another limits presidential terms.

Extending the vote to African American men happened with the Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870. It prohibits denying the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, making Black male suffrage a constitutional right. This change came during Reconstruction as the nation rebuilt after the Civil War, building on the ideas of citizenship and equality established earlier in the amendments. Keep in mind that, even with this protection, many states used other tactics to hinder Black voters for many decades, which later civil rights efforts would challenge. The other amendments address different issues: one defines citizenship and equal protection, another protects women’s right to vote, and another limits presidential terms.