The Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution

Section 1. 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.

Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Purpose of the 15th Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment was important because it stated all United States citizens are treated equally with their right to vote. The fifteenth amendment prohibits federal and state governments to deny a citizen of the United States the right to vote based on their race or color or condition of servitude.  The Fifteenth Amendment was necessary because the United States was divided between slave states and free states.  After the Civil War, slavery was abolished and the former slaves needed to be given the same rights as the rest of the citizens of the United States.  This amendment gave the former slaves and people of other colors the same right to vote as all other United State citizens.

The Historical Background of the Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment was historically very important.  The amendment was approved in 1870.  This amendment was one of three amendments added to the Constitution during the five years after the Civil War.  This amendment helped unify the United States after the Civil War because it gave all of the people an equal right to vote regardless of their race, color, or previous servitude.  It is still important today because there are many minorities living in the United States and this amendment gives all of them an equal right to vote.