Which statement best explains the reason Congress
passed the Fifteenth Amendment? (1 point)
to stop poll taxes from creating an economic barrier to
voting in the South
to protect the ability of Freedmen to participate in
choosing a government through voting
to guarantee equal protection under the law to Freedmen
to prevent states from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
The best statement that explains the reason Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment is: to protect the ability of Freedmen to participate in choosing a government through voting.
To arrive at this answer, one must understand the historical context of the Fifteenth Amendment. The amendment was ratified in 1870, five years after the end of the American Civil War. During this time, the Reconstruction period was underway, and one of the primary goals was to ensure the political rights and inclusion of the newly freed African Americans, known as Freedmen.
With the abolition of slavery, there was a pressing need to address the civil and political rights of the Freedmen. Given that voting was a fundamental means of political participation, Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to secure their ability to vote and participate in the electoral process.
It is important to note that poll taxes were indeed creating economic barriers to voting in the South. However, the Fifteenth Amendment specifically aimed to address the denial of the Freedmen's voting rights, ensuring that race would not be used as a basis for denying them the right to vote.
While the last option, guaranteeing equal protection under the law to Freedmen, is an important aspect of the Fifteenth Amendment, its primary purpose was to safeguard their political participation through voting.