connecticut schoolmaster, dictionary author, and lawyer who argues

by Myrtice Jacobson Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 8 min read

What is Noah Webster best known for?

Noah Webster, (born October 16, 1758, West Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.—died May 28, 1843, New Haven, Connecticut), American lexicographer known for his American Spelling Book (1783) and his American Dictionary of the English Language, 2 vol. (1828; 2nd ed., 1840).

Who was the teacher and lawyer who wrote the American Dictionary of the English Language?

Noah Webster Jr. (October 16, 1758 – May 28, 1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author.

Were Daniel Webster and Noah Webster related?

Perhaps less known than his cousin, Sen. Daniel Webster, Noah Webster (1758–1843) nonetheless profoundly influenced the development of American national language and culture.

What did Noah Webster write?

Webster believed that Americans should learn from American books, so in 1783, he wrote his own textbook: A Grammatical Institute of the English Language. It earned its nickname, the “Blue-Backed Speller”, because of its characteristic blue cover.

What did Horace Mann do?

Known as the “father of American education,” Horace Mann (1796–1859), a major force behind establishing unified school systems, worked to establish a varied curriculum that excluded sectarian instruction.

Did Daniel Webster write the dictionary?

It was Noah, not Daniel, who wrote the book that was the standard speller for generations of Americans — and the bane of so many school children. Noah followed the speller with a dictionary so popular that the name "Webster's" became synonymous with dictionary.

Did Noah Webster support slavery?

A belief like Webster's led to decades of racial discrimination before, during and after the Civil War. As early as 1785, Webster wrote that he wanted the abolition of slavery to be part of a new constitution. In 1791, Noah Webster co-founded Hartford's Society for the Abolition of Slavery.

Who is Daniel Webster and why is he important?

Contents. Daniel Webster (1782-1852) emerged as one of the greatest orators and most influential statesmen in the United States in the early 19th century. As an attorney, he argued several landmark cases before the Supreme Court that expanded the power of the federal government.

Who is responsible for Webster's dictionary?

Merriam-WebsterParent companyEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Country of originUnited StatesHeadquarters locationSpringfield, MassachusettsPublication typesReference books, online dictionariesOwner(s)Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; Jacqui Safra4 more rows

Who wrote the Webster's dictionary?

Noah WebsterNoah Webster (1758–1843), the author of the readers and spelling books which dominated the American market at the time, spent decades of research in compiling his dictionaries. His first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, appeared in 1806.

Who is the founder of the Webster dictionary?

Noah WebsterBorn in West Hartford, Connecticut in 1758, Noah Webster came of age during the American Revolution and was a strong advocate of the Constitutional Convention.

What fundamental problem did Noah Webster?

What fundamental problem did Noah Webster see in the Articles of Confederation? That States would always work in their own self-interest even if it meant harm to the nation as a whole. What did the Northwest Ordinance outlaw in the Northwest Territory?

Overview

Noah Webster Jr. (October 16, 1758 – May 28, 1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education". His "Blue-backed Speller" books taught five generations of American children how to spell and read. Webster's name has b…

Biography

Webster was born in the Western Division of Hartford (which became West Hartford, Connecticut) to an established family. His birthplace is the Noah Webster House which highlights Webster's life and is the headquarters of the West Hartford Historical Society. His father Noah Webster Sr. (1722–1813) was a descendant of Connecticut Governor John Webster; his mother Mercy (Steele) Webster (1727–1794) was a descendant of Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony. His fa…

Federalist editor

Noah Webster married Rebecca Greenleaf (1766–1847) on October 26, 1789, New Haven, Connecticut. They had eight children:
• Emily Schotten (1790–1861), who married William W. Ellsworth, named by Webster as an executor of his will. Emily, their daughter, married Rev. Abner Jackson, who became president of both Hartford's Trinity College and Hobart C…

Blue-backed speller

As a teacher, he had come to dislike American elementary schools. They could be overcrowded, with up to seventy children of all ages crammed into one-room schoolhouses. They had poor, underpaid staff, no desks, and unsatisfactory textbooks that came from England. Webster thought that Americans should learn from American books, so he began writing the three volume compendiu…

Dictionary

In 1806, Webster published his first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. In 1807 Webster began compiling an expanded and fully comprehensive dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language; it took twenty-six years to complete. To evaluate the etymology of words, Webster learned twenty-eight languages, including Old English, Gothic, German, Greek, L…

Views

Webster in early life was something of a freethinker, but in 1808 he became a convert to Calvinistic orthodoxy, and thereafter became a devout Congregationalist who preached the need to Christianize the nation. Webster grew increasingly authoritarian and elitist, fighting against the prevailing grain of Jacksonian Democracy. Webster viewed language as a tool to control unruly t…

Selected works

• Dissertation on the English Language (1789)
• Collection of Essays and Fugitive Writings on Moral, Historical, Political, and Literary Subjects (1790)
• The American Spelling Book (1783)
• The Elementary Spelling Book (1829)