Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1870 during the Reconstruction era, prohibited denying the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It was a major locus of Reconstruction-era political debate, with Republicans framing it as the fulfillment of Black freedom while Democrats framed it as establishing Black supremacy.

Claims that use this term

• Congress made ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment a condition of readmission to statehood.
• Democrats framed the Fifteenth Amendment as establishing Black supremacy
• Republicans framed the Fifteenth Amendment as complete fulfillment of Black freedom.