One of those rights was the right to vote, also known as suffrage or enfranchisement. African Americans had been fighting for the right to participate in the political process since before the Civil War. ... The Fifteenth Amendment would guarantee protection against racial discrimination in voting.

Why is 15th Amendment important?

The purpose of the 15th Amendment was to ensure that states or communities were not denying men the right to vote simply based on their race, such as black codes that limited African-American social and working rights.

What is the Fifteenth Amendment and what is its significance?

The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that 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." Although ratified on ...