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The Civil War ends and reconstruction begins. Reconstruction includes the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. -
On December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment was ratified. This started reconstruction by making slavery illegal. -
On July 9, 1868, the 14th amendment was ratified. This continued the reconstruction acts and gave African Americans more rights under the constitution. -
On February 26, 1869, congress passed this amendment. It got sent to the states to be ratified. Southern states were not ratifying it so congress decided that to be let back into the union these states would have to first ratify the 15th amendment. -
On February 3, 1870, enough states finally ratified the 15th amendment which made it officially part of the constitution. -
Thomas Mundy Peterson was from Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He was the first African American to vote one day after the 15th amendment was ratified. -
Ulysses S. Grant showed his support for the 15th amendment in a letter that he wrote to Congress. Grant was one of the people that thought the passing of the 15th amendment was vital for the future of the United States. -
In the late 1870s southern states started to create laws that prevents African Americans from voting. Grandfather clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests made it hard for many African Americans to vote despite them now having that right. -
This was a supreme court ruling that decided it was legal for states to require literacy tests. This ruling made the 15th amendment almost useless because most former slaves had no education and were made unable to vote. -
Lyndon B. Johnson encouraged congress to create a law that would stop voting discrimination. In 1965 Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act which stopped states from creating laws that prevented people from voting.