Which amendment prohibits states from denying the right to vote based on race?

• A. Thirteenth Amendment
• B. Fourteenth Amendment
• C. Fifteenth Amendment
• D. Nineteenth Amendment

Answer: (C)

The Fifteenth Amendment is the correct answer because it specifically addresses the issue of voting rights and prohibits states from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Ratified in 1870, this amendment was a crucial part of the Reconstruction Era efforts to ensure that African American men, in particular, had the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.

The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, but it did not address voting rights directly. The Fourteenth Amendment provides broad protections for citizenship and equal civil rights, including equal protection under the law, yet it does not specifically mention the right to vote based on race. The Nineteenth Amendment, on the other hand, grants women the right to vote, which while important, is unrelated to racial discrimination. Thus, the Fifteenth Amendment is the key constitutional provision that directly prohibits states from denying voting rights on the basis of race.