The Debate Over the 14th and 15th Amendments

The debates over the 14th and 15th amendments caused a major split in the coalition of white feminists aligned with advocates of voting rights for black men. The feminist and abolitionist movements had been closely tied almost one in the same since the early 19th century. In February of 1869 after several southern states refused to ratify the 14th amendment or enact blackmail suffrage Congress passed the 15th amendment which was specifically designed to protect the voting rights of black men.