Gouverneur Morris and Stephen Hopkins: Two Founding Fathers with disabilities you might not know about

By Rowan Tipping

Gouverneur Morris and Stephen Hopkins were influential Founding Fathers who played significant roles in shaping the early foundations of the United States. Their contributions can be seen in their involvement in drafting the Constitution and writing the Declaration of Independence. However, what is less mentioned is that both men lived with disabilities by the time they were more active in their roles as Founding Fathers. In this article, we will explore their remarkable lives, their experiences with their respective disabilities, and how they left a lasting impact on our nation and its founding.

When looking at Gouverneur Morris, he had two physical disabilities that he lived with for the majority of his life. The first can be seen when he severely injured his left leg in his twenties in a carriage accident in Philadelphia, at this time he was serving in the Second Continental Congress. Due to this injury, Morris needed to have his leg amputated just below the knee and it was replaced with a wooden prosthetic leg that he would use for the rest of his life [1]. The second can be seen when it’s mentioned that when he was about 14 and attending King’s College (modern-day Columbia University) he went home to his family’s estate and while there had boiled water from a kettle spilled onto his right side burning his body severely and deforming his arm [2]. 

Although these two events changed how Morris was able to operate physically his writings in his diary show how perceptions of  19th and 20th centuries of physical disabilities were different with it being stated, “Although he experienced some negative responses from able-bodied individuals in both America and Europe, he seemed largely to operate in a world that had moved past viewing disability as a physical marker of Godlessness” [1]. With this context of the times it can be better understood how he was able to do the things he did with his physical condition being less of a barrier. His contributions to the founding of our nation can be seen in the introduction of the Constitution which originally stated, “We the People of the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut…” After Morris’s change, it states, “We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union...” [3]. If it wasn’t for Morris our constitution would be presenting our nation as a loose coalition of states rather than a United States, this being a highlight of his contribution to the founding of our nation.

When looking at Stephen Hopkins, he had one developmental disability that became more prominent later in his life, that being cerebral palsy. His condition is mainly known due to it being said that once he signed the Declaration of Independence he stated, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not” [4]. This quote has been attributed to his cerebral palsy with it being said that he was holding his right hand with his left to be able to write his signature [5]. Hopkins also played a big role in Rhode Island politics with a highlight being in 1774 by authoring a bill that banned the importation of slaves into the colony, this bill passed the Rhode Island legislature making it one of the first anti-slavery laws in our country [6]. Hopkins played a major role in influencing the patriot cause early on by helping found both the Providence Gazette and Country Journal, which featured articles criticizing Parliamentary tax and advocating for colonial self-governance [6]. Hopkins's contributions on both a colony and national level proved to be crucial for furthering the patriot cause as well as helping found our nation overall.

The lives, experiences, and accomplishments of these two individuals highlight their resilience and power as figures who played key roles in forming our nation. From Morris’s experience as an amputee and burn survivor who was a key statesman whose change of wording in the Constitution draft quite literally defined our nation in a more unified way. Hopkins, whose act of signing the Declaration of Independence even when facing difficulties with cerebral palsy shows his commitment to the nation and authoring one of the first anti-slavery bills in our nation. In the end, our nation’s founding as well as important political change occurred due to the activity of two strong historical figures who both faced disabilities but rose above them to have their names remembered in the books of history for centuries to come.

References:

[1] Foster, Thomas A. “Recovering Washington’s Body-Double: Disability and Manliness in the Life and Legacy of a Founding Father.” Disability Studies Quarterly, January 25, 2012. https://dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/3028#:~:text=Abstract,century%20American%20with%20a%20disability.

[2] Groot, Kristen de. “Gouverneur Morris: Founding Father, Disabled American.” Penn Today, August 4, 2020. https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/gouverneur-morris-founding-father-disabled-american#:~:text=It%20wasn’t%20a%20secret,or%20legs%2C%E2%80%9D%20Reiss%20says. 

[3] Al-Mohamed, Day. “Gouverneur Morris: Playboy and Penman of the American Constitution.” American Masters, November 11, 2020. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/blog/gouverneur-morris-playboy-and-penman-of-the-american-constitution/. 

[4] “Disability History Factoid: Stephen Hopkins.” Office of the Governor Texas, October 14, 2011. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXGOV/bulletins/15e4d2#:~:text=Stephen%20Hopkins%20. 

[5] “Q&A: Founding Father with Cerebral Palsy.” Disability Network Southwest Michigan, May 5, 2016. https://www.dnswm.org/qa-founding-father-with-cerebral-palsy/. 

[6]  “Biographical Sketches: Stephen Hopkins.” National Park Service, July 4, 2004. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/declaration/bio21.htm.