Voting Rights and Amendments

The podcast '60-Second Civics' discusses the 15th Amendment, part of the Reconstruction Amendments, aimed at protecting African American men's voting rights. Despite its ratification in 1870, many barriers like grandfather clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests were used to suppress these rights. The Supreme Court and later amendments, along with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, helped dismantle these obstacles, influenced by the civil rights movement.

Which amendment is known as the last of the Reconstruction Amendments?

• 15th Amendment

• 19th Amendment

• 13th Amendment

• 14th Amendment

What was the primary purpose of the 15th Amendment?

• To establish income tax

• To grant women the right to vote

• To protect African American men's right to vote

• To abolish slavery

What does Section 1 of the 15th Amendment prohibit?

• Discrimination based on gender

• Discrimination based on race, color, or previous servitude

• Discrimination based on age

• Discrimination based on religion

What authority does Section 2 of the 15th Amendment grant to Congress?

• To appoint Supreme Court justices

• To regulate interstate commerce

• To enforce Section 1 through legislation

• To declare war

What were some of the challenges African Americans faced when trying to vote in the South?

• Physical intimidation and economic threats

• High voting fees

• Language barriers

• Lack of polling stations

What was a grandfather clause?

• A rule allowing voting only if one's grandfather could vote

• A literacy test requirement

• A tax imposed before voting

• A law requiring voter registration

When were poll taxes outlawed?

• 1965

• 1964

• 1920

• 1915

Which amendment abolished poll taxes?

• 26th Amendment

• 15th Amendment

• 24th Amendment

• 19th Amendment

What legislation banned literacy tests?

• 15th Amendment

• 24th Amendment

• Voting Rights Act of 1965

• Civil Rights Act of 1964