Which amendment is associated with protecting voting rights and prohibiting race-based restrictions by government?

Which amendment is associated with protecting voting rights and prohibiting race-based restrictions by government?

• A. 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause
• B. 13th Amendment
• C. 15th Amendment
• D. 1st Amendment

Answer: (C)

The primary idea tested is a constitutional guarantee of voting rights free from racial discrimination. The Fifteenth Amendment states 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. Ratified in 1870 after the Civil War, it directly targets barriers to voting based on race. While the 13th Amendment abolishes slavery and the 14th provides broad equal protection, the Fifteenth specifically protects the act of voting itself from race-based restrictions. The First Amendment covers freedoms like speech and religion, not voting rights. This combination explains why the Fifteenth Amendment is the correct choice for protecting voting rights against racial discrimination, with later laws like the Voting Rights Act building on that constitutional foundation.

The primary idea tested is a constitutional guarantee of voting rights free from racial discrimination. The Fifteenth Amendment states 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. Ratified in 1870 after the Civil War, it directly targets barriers to voting based on race. While the 13th Amendment abolishes slavery and the 14th provides broad equal protection, the Fifteenth specifically protects the act of voting itself from race-based restrictions. The First Amendment covers freedoms like speech and religion, not voting rights. This combination explains why the Fifteenth Amendment is the correct choice for protecting voting rights against racial discrimination, with later laws like the Voting Rights Act building on that constitutional foundation.