About the 15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, gave African-American men the right to vote. It is considered a Restoration Amendment, as it was passed after the Civil War. The Amendment says 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" The 15th Amendment was passed just 5 years after the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. The country (especially the south) was rebuilding. It was an emotional time, but with a new generation on the horizon, attitudes towards African Americans and other minorities were changing. It was an overall hopeful period. It didn't last long, but, hey, at least there was an attempt. |
Controversy/ Prerequisites
The 15th Amendment was passed in 1870. The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery was passed in 1865. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Most of the white population in the U.S at the time still viewed African-Americans as slaves. After the 13th Amendment was passed, the 3/5ths Compromise in the South was now obsolete, as an African-American would now be considered 1 person. This would cause a political imbalance in the House of Representatives. Before the 15th Amendment there were Black Codes, passed in southern states in 1865-1866, were used to restrict Black people, and to force them into working low income jobs. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was hastily passed after two vetoes from President Andrew Johnson. A nervous Republican Party would draft up the 15th Amendment in an attempt to keep power, hoping that African-Americans would vote Republican. |
Shelby County V. Holder
Although the 15th Amendment was enacted in the 19th century, African-Americans were still discriminated against at the polls well into the 20th century. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was formed to better protect African-Americans and other minorities while voting. In section 5, it says that if a state, or county wants to change it's voting procedures, it must go through the Attorney General, or begin a case in the U.S District Court. These rules were set in place to keep local governments from discriminating at the polls by making it more difficult for minorities to vote, by making voting areas more inaccessible, for example. __________________________________ In 2013, the case of Shelby County V. Holder began. Shelby County, which is in Alabama said that sections 4b. and 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were unconstitutional. The ruling was 5 to 4. The sections were declared unconstitutional because it was "different" in the 1960s, and it just didn't make any sense to keep these laws around in the 21st century. The case's ruling stirred up protests around the country over the fear that counties/states will make it more difficult for minorities to vote. One example is decreasing the number of polling places in the county or state, which can make it harder to find a place to vote. since these sections of the Voting Rights Act had been struck unconstitutional. |
Recent Controversies
More recent controversies with the amendment tie in with the Shelby County ruling. As most Americans know, discrimination still runs rampant in our country, and most protests dealing with the ruling focused on that aspect. Generally, blatant racism has disappeared over the years. (Racism is not over, everybody.) There are not any other recent controversies other than that. In the past, (Specifically, the 40s,50s,60s, where the Civil Rights Movement had a huge push) you could get attacked for trying to vote, and in extreme cases lynched Other obstacles would be intentionally difficult "literacy" tests (that often did not make sense) They would do anything they could to keep them from voting. |
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