fifteenth amendment: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1-C2Formal, Academic, Historical, Legal
Quick answer
What does “fifteenth amendment” mean?
The amendment to the US Constitution that prohibits the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The amendment to the US Constitution that prohibits the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
The constitutional provision ratified in 1870 that granted African American men the right to vote, a key development in the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era. It represents a landmark legal guarantee of suffrage rights in American history.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Primarily an American historical/legal term. In UK contexts, it is only used when discussing US history or constitutional law.
Connotations
In American usage: historical significance, civil rights, voting rights, Reconstruction. In British usage: a specific foreign constitutional reference.
Frequency
High frequency in US academic/historical texts; very low frequency in general UK English outside specific contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “fifteenth amendment” in a Sentence
[The] Fifteenth Amendment [verb]...The rights guaranteed by the Fifteenth Amendment...In accordance with the Fifteenth Amendment...Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “fifteenth amendment” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The parliamentarian argued the US had already Fifteenth-Amendmented the issue decades prior. (very rare, metaphorical)
American English
- The state's law was struck down for effectively Fifteenth-Amendmenting minority voters. (rare, jargon)
adverb
British English
- (Not used adverbially.)
American English
- (Not used adverbially.)
adjective
British English
- The Fifteenth-Amendment protections were cited in the international human rights report. (rare)
American English
- He is a scholar of Fifteenth-Amendment jurisprudence. (specialized)
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rarely used, except in discussions of corporate political activity or diversity policies referencing historical context.
Academic
Frequently used in history, political science, law, and American studies to discuss Reconstruction, voting rights, and constitutional development.
Everyday
Used in general discussion of US history, politics, or civil rights milestones.
Technical
Used in legal documents, constitutional law treatises, and historical analyses with precise reference to its text and judicial interpretations.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “fifteenth amendment”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “fifteenth amendment”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “fifteenth amendment”
- Using lowercase ('fifteenth amendment').
- Confusing it with the 14th Amendment (equal protection) or 19th Amendment (women's suffrage).
- Stating it 'gave all African Americans the vote'—it applied initially to men, and states still used other barriers.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It prohibited denial of voting rights on the basis of race, but initially applied only to men. Furthermore, many states used other methods like literacy tests and poll taxes to disenfranchise Black voters until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
It was ratified on February 3, 1870.
The Thirteenth Amendment (abolished slavery) and the Fourteenth Amendment (granted citizenship and equal protection under the law).
Yes, it remains a cornerstone of voting rights law in the United States. Sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were grounded in its enforcement clause, and it is frequently cited in modern legal challenges to electoral laws alleged to have a racially discriminatory effect.
The amendment to the US Constitution that prohibits the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Fifteenth amendment is usually formal, academic, historical, legal in register.
Fifteenth amendment: in British English it is pronounced /ˌfɪfˈtiːnθ əˈmendmənt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌfɪfˈtinθ əˈmɛndmənt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(No common idioms. Term is itself a historical/legal reference.)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'Fifteen' gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. The number 15 can be broken into 1+5 = 6, and the 6th word of the phrase "We the People..." is about forming a more perfect union, linking to expanding voting rights.
Conceptual Metaphor
A KEY unlocking the ballot box; a BRIDGE from slavery to citizenship; a CORNERSTONE of electoral democracy.
Practice
Quiz
What right did the Fifteenth Amendment primarily guarantee?