History glossary
Fifteenth Amendment
a constitutional amendment forbidding denial of voting rights because of race.
- Category
- Civil rights
- Region
- United States
- Date range
- 1954–1968
What it means
Adopted in 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment barred racial discrimination in voting rights. Officials nevertheless used tests, obstruction and intimidation to prevent Black citizens from voting.
Stories using this term
The American Civil War and the Abolition of Slavery
The American Civil War determined the survival of the Union and led to the abolition of slavery, fundamentally reshaping the United States.
The Civil Rights Movement
From school desegregation to Montgomery, Selma and Memphis, organised communities challenged racial exclusion and transformed American democracy.
