What does the 15th Amendment protect a person's right to do?

Study for the News Currents 2025 Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, with hints and explanations. Prepare for your upcoming exam confidently!

The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution expressly protects the right to vote for citizens, specifically prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Ratified in 1870, this amendment was a crucial step in the civil rights movement, aiming to ensure that all citizens, particularly former slaves and their descendants, had equal voting rights. By emphasizing the importance of voting as a fundamental democratic right, the 15th Amendment laid the groundwork for subsequent efforts to eliminate voting discrimination and enhance electoral participation among historically marginalized groups.

The other options relate to different rights not covered by this specific amendment; for instance, freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment, while rights to work and travel don’t have constitutional protections that specifically follow the framework of the 15th Amendment.

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