Question

After ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment,
voting rights could not be denied based on race.
voting rights could not be denied based on gender.
poll taxes became illegal and unconstitutional.
literacy tests became illegal and unconstitutional.

Answer 1

After the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, voting rights could not be denied based on race. The amendment specifically states that the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

However, it is important to note that while the Fifteenth Amendment aimed to secure voting rights for African American men, various discriminatory practices such as poll taxes and literacy tests were later instituted in many states to disenfranchise voters, particularly African Americans and, in some cases, poor white voters.

These barriers were challenged and deemed unconstitutional through subsequent legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to eliminate such discriminatory practices. Gender-based voting rights were addressed later with the Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, which granted women the right to vote.

To summarize:

- The Fifteenth Amendment ensures that race cannot be a criterion for denying voting rights.
- Voting rights could still be denied based on gender until the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
- Poll taxes and literacy tests were not made illegal until later reforms, particularly the Voting Rights Act of 1965.