The 15Th Amendment To The U.S. Constitution

The Fifteenth Amendment To The United States Constitution, Which Had Been Ratified On February 3, Went Into Effect On March 30, 1870.

The Amendment Extended The Right To Vote To All Males Regardless Of "Race, Color Or Previous Condition Of Servitude." The Next Day, Thomas Patterson Was The First Black American To Exercise His New Constitutional Right.

Despite Passage Of The New Law, For Years Blacks Were Denied Their Right To Vote Through Various Methods. These Included: Threats, Literacy Tests, Violence And Even Murder.

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It. " -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.