In 1789, Webster married Boston-born Rebecca Greenleaf and settled down briefly in Hartford to establish a law practice. (His hopes that the new Constitution would include universal education and the end of slavery were not realized). He supported a powerful national government with strong executive authority and a Congress with broad powers to create laws-all of which were incorporated in the Constitution. In 1785, two years before the Constitutional Convention and the printing of the Federalist Papers, Webster wrote Sketches of American Policy, in which he outlined his ideas for a new government. The support of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and many other national leaders during this time made Webster’s efforts to market his books very successful. Over 30 influential textbooks followed, including History of the United States, the nation’s first full-length history.ĭuring the 1780s Webster wrote numerous essays promoting education reform and other cultural concerns, went on a national lecture tour, established the American Magazine, promoted the sales of his textbooks, and worked to advance copyright law. Between 1783 and the early 1900s it is estimated that Webster’s spelling book sold nearly 100 million copies. Let us then seize the present moment and establish a national language as well as a national government.” His speller, later reader, and grammar all incorporated American heroes and authors with the goal of creating national symbols to galvanize the country. He wrote, “Now is the time and this the country in which we may expect success in attempting changes to language, science, and government. Webster believed that the fledgling country needed its own textbooks and a codified language around which to unite.
In 1783, Webster published Volume 1 of A Grammatical Institute of the English Language (a.k.a., The American Spelling Book but best known for the color of its binding as the Blue-Backed Speller). In 1782, Webster was appointed to a teaching position in Goshen, New York, and there he began to test many of his educational theories and incorporate them into a book.
He graduated in 1778, taught at schools in Glastonbury, Hartford, and West Hartford, and studied law in Litchfield. The rebellious spirit of Yale, a brief stint in the West Division’s militia while a student, and greeting George Washington in New Haven instilled patriotic zeal in the young Webster.
It was clear that he had a gift for language, so his parents arranged for him to be tutored and in 1774, at the age of 16, he enrolled at Yale College. Noah was one of five children and grew up on his father’s farm.ĭetail of a lesson from The American spelling book by Noah Webster Webster’s Words was born into this background on October 16, 1758, in the West Division of Hartford, now known as West Hartford, to Noah Webster Sr. His maternal side could link its New England lineage back to William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony. On his paternal side, Webster’s great-great-grandfather, John Webster, had journeyed with Thomas Hooker from Massachusetts to help found the Connecticut Colony and later served as governor. His life and accomplishments reflect a blend of revolutionary spirit and Old World traditionalism, and he played a critical cultural role in defining America’s national identity. This Connecticut polymath is also considered the “father of American copyright law.” Webster even saw his American Dictionary as being more than a convenient reference he regarded its contributions to standardized language usage and spelling as integral to building a new nation.Ĭoming of age during the American Revolution, he embraced many of the radical ideas and attitudes associated with the country’s new freedom and yet was stalwartly linked to the traditions of his Puritan ancestors. He was an education reformer, political activist, author of textbooks, pioneer in epidemiology, newspaper editor, and an early antislavery advocate. Yet, as major a contribution as that is, Noah Webster’s influence on American life and language is larger than many of us know. Even with today’s spell-check and online resources, many Americans still think “Webster’s” when they have a question regarding spelling and word definitions.
is best remembered as the author of the dictionary most often called, simply, “Webster’s,” but whose original 1828 title was An American Dictionary of the English Language.
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