What does the 15th Amendment prohibit?

The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution explicitly prohibits the denial of the right to vote to citizens based on their race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Ratified in 1870, this amendment was a significant milestone in the struggle for civil rights, particularly for African American men, who had been systematically disenfranchised following the Civil War.

The amendment aimed to ensure that all citizens, regardless of race, had the right to participate in elections, thus promoting a more inclusive democracy. It was one of the Reconstruction Amendments, which were designed to protect the rights of newly freed slaves and to address the injustices that arose during the period of racial discrimination.

In context, the other options refer to different rights and protections; prohibiting slavery is addressed by the 13th Amendment, the right to a fair trial is protected under the 6th Amendment, and free speech is safeguarded by the 1st Amendment. Each of these amendments focuses on distinct aspects of personal liberties and rights within the American legal framework, while the 15th focuses specifically on voting rights related to race.