Instructions: Given a text, write a compressed version of it in a single sentence.
Input: At the outset, I should be clear about the claims I am not making and the methods I am not using. Above all, I am not making an argument about the "original intent" that lay behind the Reconstruction Amendments.
Output:
To be clear on the claims I am not making and methods I am not using. I am not making an argument about the intent behind the Reconstruction Amendments.