Q&A: Founding Father with Cerebral Palsy

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icon "Disability Q&A"Disability Network Southwest Michigan is pleased to bring you Disability Q&A to test your knowledge of disability-related topics. We post questions on Facebook and provide a link for you to check the answer and learn more about each topic.

Q: Which of our Founding Fathers had cerebral palsy?

A: Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, a Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hopkins, who had cerebral palsy, signed the Declaration of Independence while holding his right hand with his left, saying, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not.”

Stephen Hopkins (drawing and signature)
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