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The Constitution.

Read the words. See the structure. Understand what connects them.

Preamble · Seven Articles
Twenty-seven Amendments

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Constitutional text

Amendment XV · Section 1

1 selectable clause · PDF page 15

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.

Notes supplied with the source text

Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870.

Source: the uploaded National Constitution Center edition. Historical wording and its bracket markers remain visible; later amendments and the reading notes explain changes.

Clause notes