Gouverneur Morris

Gouverneur Morris (1752–1816) was an American statesman and lawyer. He was active in New York State government, and was a member of the New York State Assembly (1777–1778). Despite the fact that he came from a loyalist family of Westchester farmers, Morris was a patriot and was a delegate to the Continental Congress. During the American Revolution, Morris became a vocal advocate of the Continental Army, arguing for better conditions and helping to enact reforms in Congress. In 1778, Morris signed the Articles of Confederation. After losing his leg in a carriage accident in 1780, Morris used a wooden “pegleg” and was discharged from military service. In 1787, he attended the Constitutional Convention as a delegate from Pennsylvania, a state in which he briefly resided. Morris favored a strong central government and had little faith in democracy. However, he did feel strongly about natural rights, was a particularly strong supporter of freedom of religion, and openly condemned the practice of slavery.