What is Gouverneur Morris?
[[File:Gouverneur Morris 1753.png|Gouverneur Morris|thumb|right|150px]] '''Gouverneur Morris''' (January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an [[United States of America|American]] [[politician]] and [[diplomat]] from [[New York City]]. Morris was born and died in Morrisiana, which is now part of [[The Bronx]]. He went to college at [[Columbia University|King's College, New York]]. He was a delegate to the [[Continental Congress]] from New York in the 1770s. In the 1780s, he moved to [[Philadelphia]] and was the assistant superintendent of finance. He was also a delegate to the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]] from [[Pennsylvania]]. He was very active there, giving 173 speeches. This was more speeches than any other person gave. Morris wrote the Preamble and many of the sections of the Constitution.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bowen|first=Catherine Drinker|title=Miracle at Philadelphia|url=https://archive.org/details/miracleatphilade0000bowe_p0r7|year=1986|isbn=9780316103985 }}</ref> Later, he served as [[ambassador]] to [[France]] from 1792 to 1794. He was a U.S. Senator from 1800 to 1803. Late in life, Morris was head of the group building the [[Erie Canal]]. He wanted a strong central government, and wanted people to think of themselves mostly as Americans rather than people of the state they lived in. Morris also spoke out against [[slavery]]. He had a [[Prosthesis|wooden leg]].<ref name=ReasonMorris>{{cite web |url= http://reason.com/archives/2004/07/01/the-fun-loving-founding-father|title=The Fun-Loving Founding Father |author=Will Wilkenson |publisher=Reason |date=2004 |accessdate= 2011-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Swiggert |first=Howard |year=1952 |title= The Extraordinary Mr. Morris |publisher= Doubleday & Co |location= New York}}</ref> Morris lost his leg in a carriage accident<ref>{{Cite web|title=New-York Historical Society {{!}} Gouverneur Morris's Wooden Leg, ca. 1780|url=https://www.nyhistory.org/gouverneur-morris%E2%80%99s-wooden-leg-ca-1780|acc