SECTION 1.
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 2.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
A little history:
Many states were wary of the 15th amendment, mostly because they did not want Chinese and Irish immigrants voting. In fact, California and Oregon would not ratify the amendment due to the large amount of Chinese immigrants that lived there. It was not until almost 90 years later that these states would ratify the 15th amendment. The 15th amendment passed, without the support of these states, in 1870 and these protections largely helped African Americans, as long as there were federal troops to protect them.
How do you feel about the 15th amendment? Of course most will agree that it was simply a good thing but for many years there was still discrimination and women still couldn't vote at the time.
Even after all the fighting and even people dying for the right to vote, Do you believe that these people may in fact have died in vain? Do not enough people take the time to actually go out and vote?
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