What does the 15th Amendment protect?

The 15th Amendment specifically protects voting rights by prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Ratified in 1870, this amendment was a significant step toward ensuring that African American men, in particular, could exercise their right to participate in elections following the Civil War.

The focus of the amendment is explicitly on the rights of citizens regarding voting, making the third choice the correct answer. This amendment was part of the Reconstruction Amendments aimed at securing rights for formerly enslaved individuals and addressing the injustices they faced. While the other choices—free speech, the right to bear arms, and the right to a fair trial—are vital civil liberties in the United States, they are addressed by other amendments in the Constitution, such as the First and Second Amendments, rather than by the 15th Amendment.