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Learn about Noah Webster, the "Father of American Scholarship and Education", who wrote the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language and advocated for American nationalism and abolitionism. Explore his life, career, achievements, and legacy on Wikipedia.
Learn about Noah Webster, an American lexicographer who created the first American dictionary and spelling book. Find out how he influenced American English, education, and politics with his writings and activism.
- Richard Nordquist
- During his first career as a schoolteacher at the time of the American Revolution, Webster was concerned that most of his students' textbooks came from England.
- Webster subscribed to the biblical account of the origin of language, believing that all languages derived from Chaldee, an Aramaic dialect. This was not the only time his Christian beliefs overlapped with his professional work: not only did he release his own version of the Bible, called the "Common Version," but he also released a book entitled Value of the Bible and Excellence of the Christian Religion, explaining and defending the Bible and the Christian faith overall.
- Though he fought for a strong federal government, Webster opposed plans to include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. "Liberty is never secured with such paper declarations," he wrote, "nor lost for want of them."
- Even though he himself borrowed shamelessly from Thomas Dilworth's New Guide to the English Tongue (1740) and Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755), Webster fought vigorously to protect his own work from plagiarists.
Learn about the life and work of Noah Webster, the Father of American Scholarship and Education, who published the first comprehensive American dictionary in 1828. Explore his spelling reforms, his Bible references, his quotes from classical literature, and his influence on Emily Dickinson.
Learn about Noah Webster, the lexicographer who created the first American dictionary in 1806 and advocated for a distinctive American language. Explore his spelling reforms, his sources, and his legacy at Merriam-Webster.
Noah Webster accomplished many things in his life. Not only did he fight for an American language, he also fought for copyright laws, a strong federal government, universal education, and the abolition of slavery.
Learn about Noah Webster, the first American lexicographer who influenced the spelling and vocabulary of English in the United States. Explore his life, works, and legacy through facts, events, and a virtual tour of his museum.
