Made By National Constitution Center15th Amendment
Right to Vote Not Denied by Race
Congress debated several drafts. Some only banned racial restrictions, while others provided broader protections. Even as each House passed broader proposals, Congress settled on language that attacked racial discrimination in voting. The 15th Amendment was passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Special thanks to Kurt Lash from the University of Richmond School of Law for generously sharing his research and expertise on the Reconstruction Amendments. Kurt Lash, The Reconstruction Amendments: Essential Documents (University of Chicago Press, 2019). Read the full textThe Drafting Process
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1867
1868
Event
14th Amendment is ratified
The 14th Amendment addressed citizenship, freedom, and equality. Section Two pressured states to grant males equal access to the ballot box without regard to race by promising reduced representation in Congress if they did not. However, the 14th Amendment did not expressly prohibit states from denying African Americans the right to vote.
1869
Ratification
Suffrage amendment introduced in Congress
The Reconstruction Acts were an emergency war measure designed to serve only until states were readmitted. To make black men’s enfranchisement permanent, Republicans began to debate another constitutional amendment. In January 1869, George Boutwell proposed a suffrage amendment in the House, and John Brooks Henderson introduced a similar amendment in the Senate.
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1869
Suffrage amendment introduced in Congress
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1869
Congress passes the 15th Amendment
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1870
15th Amendment is ratified
Result
Proposed in Congress
1869
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Draft — January 10, 1869
Boutwell proposes suffrage amendment in House
1869
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Draft — January 22, 1869
Henderson proposes suffrage amendment in Senate
1869
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Draft — January 26, 1869
Bingham proposes a broader suffrage amendment
1869
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Draft — January 27, 1869
Senate Judiciary Committee proposes an amendment
1869
1869
Ratification
Congress passes the 15th Amendment
The House and Senate approved the Conference Committee proposal, passing the 15th Amendment and sending it to the states for ratification.
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1869
Suffrage amendment introduced in Congress
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1869
Congress passes the 15th Amendment
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1870
15th Amendment is ratified
Result
Passed by Congress, sent to the states for ratification
1869
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Draft — February 7, 1869
Wilson proposes a broad suffrage amendment
1869
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Draft — February 19, 1869
Bingham proposes broad discrimination protections
1869
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Draft — February 24, 1869
Conference Committee focuses on racial discrimination
1869
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Draft — February 25, 1869
15th Amendment Final Text
1869
1869
Event
Congress passes Requirement Act
The amendment was not uniformly supported in the North, and getting the necessary votes required support from reluctant Southern states. Congress passed an act that required the still-excluded states of Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas to ratify the 15th Amendment in order to be readmitted.
1869
Event
Women's suffrage movement splits
Woman suffrage activists met at the Annual Meeting of the American Equal Rights Association. Many white female activists opposed the 15th Amendment because it permitted discrimination based on sex. Elizabeth Cady Stanton declared that “not another man should be enfranchised until enough women are admitted to the polls to outweigh those who have the franchise.”
Final
Ratification
15th Amendment is ratified
The 15th Amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870, banning racial discrimination in voting. While the 1787 Constitution left the issue of voting primarily to the states, the amendment empowered the national government to protect African Americans from discrimination at the ballot box.
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1869
Suffrage amendment introduced in Congress
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1869
Congress passes the 15th Amendment
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1870
15th Amendment is ratified
Result
Ratified by three-fourths of the states
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15th Amendment Final Text
The 15th Amendment transformed the Constitution—banning racial discrimination in voting. At the same time, it was narrower than other proposals, focusing squarely on race and excluding explicit protections for office-holding. House passed (144-44), and then the Senate passed (39-13).
Section One 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. Section Two The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
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15th Amendment Final Text
The 15th Amendment transformed the Constitution—banning racial discrimination in voting. At the same time, it was narrower than other proposals, focusing squarely on race and excluding explicit protections for office-holding. House passed (144-44), and then the Senate passed (39-13).
Section One 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. Section Two The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
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15th Amendment Final Text
The 15th Amendment transformed the Constitution—banning racial discrimination in voting. At the same time, it was narrower than other proposals, focusing squarely on race and excluding explicit protections for office-holding. House passed (144-44), and then the Senate passed (39-13).
Select a document
Select a document to learn more about how it changed over time
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Section One 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. Section Two The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.