March 30 - Today in Legal History

March 30, 1870 – Right To Vote Guaranteed

Secretary of State Hamilton Fish certifies the states' ratification of the 15th Amendment, which prohibits state and federal governments from using a citizen's color, race or former slave status as a voting qualification. During the next century, literacy tests, poll taxes and other discriminatory voting practices will dampen the amendment's promise.

Related Resources:

• Audio: Liberty Lost: Felon Disenfranchisement (Justice Talking)
• Fifteenth Amendment (FindLaw)
• Voters and Voting Rights (FindLaw)
• 15^th Amendment to the Constitution: Voting Rights (Our Documents)