Gouverneur Morris and the History of Disability

Gouverneur Morris was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution, after having written the latter document’s preamble. He was an outspoken opponent of slavery during those debates.

He was injured by a 1780 carriage accident in Philadelphia after which his left leg was amputated below the knee.

The topic of the latest episode of the Massachusetts Historical Society’s Object of History Podcast is Gouverneur Morris and the field of Disability History.

Jenny Reiss, a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses Gouverneur Morris and consider several relevant objects in the Society’s collection from the 19th and 20th century.

You can listen to the episode here.

Note: Morris’s wooden leg is held by the New-York Historical Society.

For more New York Almanack podcasts announcements click HERE.

Illustrations, from above: Detail from a portrait of Gouverneur Morris, 1817.