The 15th Amendment was designed to protect voting rights for which group?

The 15th Amendment was designed to protect voting rights for which group?

• A. Women
• B. Children
• C. African American men
• D. Elderly citizens

Answer: (C)

Voting rights after the Civil War were being redefined by the Reconstruction Amendments. The 15th Amendment prohibits denying the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This was aimed at African American men who had been enslaved, guaranteeing their suffrage in law. It did not grant voting rights to women—that would come with the 19th Amendment—and it does not address the rights of children or the elderly. Thus, the group covered is African American men.

Voting rights after the Civil War were being redefined by the Reconstruction Amendments. The 15th Amendment prohibits denying the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This was aimed at African American men who had been enslaved, guaranteeing their suffrage in law. It did not grant voting rights to women—that would come with the 19th Amendment—and it does not address the rights of children or the elderly. Thus, the group covered is African American men.