Read the following example of legal voting rights in Ohio in 1803 and the Fifteenth Amendment. Describe how the Fifteenth Amendment was an effort to reconcile the discrepancy between American ideals and public policies.

Question

Ohio State Constitution

“In all elections, all white male inhabitants above the age of twenty-one years, having resided in the State one year next preceding the election, and who have paid or are charged with a State or county tax, shall enjoy the right of an elector; but no person shall be entitled to vote, except in the county or district in which he shall actually reside at the time of the election . . . .”

Fifteenth Amendment

“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.”

(1 point)
Responses

Congress passed a law that removed voting restrictions based on race.
Congress passed a law that removed voting restrictions based on race.

Interest groups pressured lawmakers in Ohio to remove voting restrictions based on race.
Interest groups pressured lawmakers in Ohio to remove voting restrictions based on race.

Social movements organized at the grassroots level in Ohio to demonstrate against the law that restricts voting based on race.
Social movements organized at the grassroots level in Ohio to demonstrate against the law that restricts voting based on race.

Congress passed a law that removed voting restrictions based on gender.
Congress passed a law that removed voting restrictions based on gender.
Skip to navigation

Answer 1

The Fifteenth Amendment was a significant step in reconciling the gap between the American ideals of equality and democracy and the restrictive voting policies that were prevalent, including those outlined in the Ohio State Constitution of 1803. The Ohio Constitution explicitly limited the right to vote to "all white male inhabitants," effectively excluding a large portion of the population based on race and gender. This reflected a narrower interpretation of who qualified as a citizen entitled to participate in the democratic process.

In contrast, the Fifteenth Amendment established that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged... on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This was a direct challenge to discriminatory voting practices and was aimed at fulfilling the promise of the American democratic ideal that all citizens should have an equal voice in government, regardless of their race.

The amendment's provisions served not only to expand voter eligibility but also provided Congress with the authority to enforce this right through appropriate legislation. Thus, the Fifteenth Amendment represented a crucial effort to align public policy with the foundational principles of liberty and equality, aiming to ensure that democracy was accessible to a broader population.