The U.S. Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” This landmark legislation was a major victory for Black men following the Civil War and marked a critical step in the struggle for civil rights and racial equality in the United States.

The U.S. Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Although ratified in 1870, this landmark legislation was a major step forward for Black male suffrage during Reconstruction and laid a constitutional foundation for future civil rights advancements.