Section 1. 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.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation
KEY POINTS
Section 1) "The rights of citizens... to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States"
Section 2) "Power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation"
SUMMARY
Voting rights in states cannot be withheld on the basis of race, color, or previous position of servitude.
(This was passed because southern states blocked the rights of freed blacks to vote - the Supreme Court never took this amendment seriously until the mid-1960s).
Section 1) "The rights of citizens... to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States"
Section 2) "Power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation"
SUMMARY
Voting rights in states cannot be withheld on the basis of race, color, or previous position of servitude.
(This was passed because southern states blocked the rights of freed blacks to vote - the Supreme Court never took this amendment seriously until the mid-1960s).