Amendments 15-19
Voting Rights and Progressive Era Amendments
Constitutional Text
Amendment XV (1870). 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.
Amendment XVI (1913). The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
Amendment XVII (1913). The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years...
Amendment XVIII (1919). Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States... is hereby prohibited.
Amendment XIX (1920). 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 sex.
Amendments Summary
15th Amendment (1870)
Voting rights for Black men - Cannot deny voting based on race. Third Reconstruction Amendment. (Later undermined by Jim Crow laws until Voting Rights Act of 1965.)
16th Amendment (1913)
Federal income tax - Allowed Congress to tax income directly without apportioning among states.
17th Amendment (1913)
Direct election of Senators - Previously chosen by state legislatures. Progressive Era reform.
18th Amendment (1919)
Prohibition - Banned manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Later repealed by 21st Amendment.
19th Amendment (1920)
Women's suffrage - Cannot deny voting based on sex. Result of decades of activism (Seneca Falls 1848, Susan B. Anthony, etc.).
Progressive Era Context
Four amendments (16th-19th) were ratified between 1913-1920, reflecting Progressive Era reforms. These amendments expanded democracy through direct election of senators and women's suffrage, gave Congress new taxing power, and attempted social reform through prohibition.
Key Takeaways
- 15th & 19th Amendments expanded voting rights
- 16th Amendment enabled federal income tax
- 17th Amendment made Senate elections more democratic
- 18th Amendment (Prohibition) was later repealed