-
National Convention of Colored Men
This meeting took place in Syracuse, New York. This promoted suffrage for African Americans. This also promoted further education for African Americans. If they could fight in the Civil War they should be able to vote and have the right to an education -
Amendment Proposal
This amendment was proposed to ensure that people of different races will have the right to vote. Ulysses S. Grant proposed this amendment after the Civil War had ended in 1865. This would push for the suffrage or voting for African Americans. This amenment would coordinate with the 13th and 14th Amendment with them being about rights for colored people. -
Congress Approved
Both Parts of Congress approved this amendment on February 25 and 26. William Henry Seward was the Secretary of state at this time and sent it out to the states. The states now had to decide whether they wanted to ratify this amendment or not. -
States to first ratify the Amendment
Nevada was the first state to ratify this amendment. There were 19 other states that ratified this amendment in 1869 and eight others in the year 1870. By 1870 there were no states who did not ratify this amendment. This was all happening throughout the time period of the Reconstruction Era. -
States to begin Ratification Processes
The first states to ratify this amendment were Nevada, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, and many more. The last state to ratify the constitution was Tennesee in 1997. Most of the other southern states had it ratified within the next year after it was passed. They complied fairly quickly. -
Reconstruction Bill
The Radical Republicans largely wrote the bills in the U.S. Congress. Congress then passed the bill which must be passed by states. The Radical Republicans believed that blacks are entitled to the right to vote just as well as whites. If they didn't ratify this amendment they would not be admitted back into Congress. -
More approve of the Amendment
Missouri ratifies the amendment on January seventh. On the 13th Minnesota ratified it, following Minnesota was Mississippi which allowed them to be back on Congress. One day after ratified in New Jersey, Thomas Peterson-Mundy was the first African American to vote under the authority of the 15th amendment. -
Strikes against the 15 Amendment
There were still discriminatory acts happening against POC because they got their right to vote. On March 7, 1965, peaceful protesters were attacked by the Alabama State Troopers. They were teargassed, whips and had batons used against them when they refused to leave. -
Voting Rights Act
Lyndon B. Johnson was the president in office at this time. He helped pass this law that ensured African Americans can exercise their 15th amendment right. It is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history. -
Why African Americans wouldn't vote
Many states just simply did not accept the fact that people of color had just as many rights as white people did. Before African Americans could vote they had to take a literacy test and they implemented poll taxes. This was all to make it harder for them to be able to vote. Some of them would not pass because of segregation and slavery. Poll taxes were used but ruled unconstitutional in the future.