14th Amendment, raise your hand if you read it all the way through

From the national archives.

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Now, I'm not so sure on this whole 14th amendment thing, but myself, I find it very interesting that it includes the sentence "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned."

For some reason, that just doesn't sit well with me. Seems odd that we need a constitutional amendment to say we can't question the validity of the debt. You got it, though.

There is nothing wrong with the public debt of the United States.