LOCAL STUDENTS ATTEND UNVEILING OF A RARE COPY OF THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT

On February 1, the New-York Historical Society unveiled a rare handwritten copy of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution signed by Abraham Lincoln. Eighth-grade students from IS 259 in Brooklyn and KIPP Academy in Manhattan attended the unveiling ceremony, which featured three speakers: Louise Mirrer (center), president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society; David Rubenstein (right), managing director of the Carlyle Group, who recently acquired the document; and James Basker (left), trustee of the New-York Historical Society and president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

"It’s important to see original documents because history isn’t just about facts…it's about imagination, and this document can spark children’s imagination forever," Basker said.

David Rubenstein, sharing his belief: "History has the power to change lives."

The rare handwritten copy of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution—the measure that abolished slavery—signed by Lincoln himself.

David Rubenstein stated, "The Emancipation Proclamation may have been better known, but the 13^th amendment was more important legally." The Thirteenth Amendment will on display at New-York Historical through April 1.