Which amendment protected the right to vote regardless of race or previous condition of servitude?

• A. 15th Amendment
• B. 13th Amendment
• C. 14th Amendment
• D. Black Codes

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is which amendment guarantees that voting cannot be denied because of race. This protection is provided by the Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, which states that the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It followed the abolition of slavery (the Thirteenth Amendment) and the attempt to define citizenship and ensure equal protection under law (the Fourteenth Amendment), but its specific focus is preventing racial discrimination in voting. In practice, many states found ways to sidestep this right for decades through methods like literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation, which is why later laws and court decisions were needed to enforce it more fully. The other options don’t fit because the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection, and Black Codes were discriminatory laws used to restrain African Americans rather than protect voting rights.