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The Right of Citizen to Vote
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.
Author
William Morris Stewart, U.S. lawyer and public official, was born on Aug. 9, 1827, in Galen, N.Y. He
was an expert on mining law and represented some of the largest companies in the West. He was Nevada's United States senator
from 1864 to 1875 and from 1887 to 1905. He was the also the author of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution.
Interpretation
Neither state or federal government can stop people from voting because of their race or because
they were once enslaved.
Other Crucial Information
Congress was given the power to enforce this amendment. During the 1950s and 1960s, it passed
successively stronger laws to end racial discrimination in voting rights.
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