Old Honest Abe had a way with words. While the 13th Amendment was being debated, Lincoln reportedly said: “I never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.”
Wait—what’s so funny about that? Nothing, until you realize the Declaration says “all men are created equal,” and the 13th Amendment finally made that almost true. Lincoln was basically saying, “Duh, this was the whole point all along.”
His quote makes the Amendment feel less like a dusty document and more like a punchline to a very long, very serious joke. Told you history could be witty.
