The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1870. It granted African American men the right to vote, stating that 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."

The amendment was a significant milestone in Black history as it aimed to secure the voting rights of African Americans who had been systematically disenfranchised through discriminatory laws and practices like poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation tactics. Despite the passage of the 15th Amendment, many states continued to find ways to suppress the Black vote through Jim Crow laws and other means.

The fight for voting rights for African Americans continued long after the passage of the 15th Amendment, with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s leading to the eventual passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which further protected the voting rights of all citizens, regardless of race.