Was the Declaration of Independence Better Before the Edits? Not a great headline on this excellent article; it’s actually a history of the writing of the Declaration and subsequent generations' interpretation of the document, up to and including Abraham Lincoln (whom a college literature professor of mine said was the only American President who was also one of the greatest writers in the English language.)
By Jill Lepore, who is always worth reading and listening to on podcasts, on the New Yorker.