What significant right is guaranteed by the Fifteenth Amendment?

The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, specifically guarantees individuals the right to vote regardless of their race or previous condition of servitude. This was an essential part of the Reconstruction Amendments, aimed at securing the civil rights of former slaves and promoting equal voting rights after the Civil War. The amendment prohibits states from denying or abridging the right to vote based on race, thus empowering a significant demographic in America that had been previously marginalized.

This amendment was a crucial step toward achieving equality in the electoral process, ensuring that all citizens, particularly African American men who gained citizenship through the Fourteenth Amendment, had a voice in their government. Its intention was clear: to eliminate racial discrimination in voting, which was a pervasive issue at the time.

In contrast, the other rights mentioned—such as the right to a fair trial, free speech, and bear arms—are protected under different amendments in the Constitution. These protections address different aspects of civil rights and liberties, thus highlighting the unique focus of the Fifteenth Amendment on voting rights specifically.