Webster, Noah

Webster, Noah (1758–1843), lexicographer, journalist, educator.Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, Webster grew up on a small New England farm. His father made great sacrifices to send Noah to Yale, from which he graduated in 1778. Failing to establish himself as a teacher or lawyer, Webster turned to writing. From 1783 to his death, he produced school books, political essays, scientific research, and dictionaries.

Webster's reputation as “the schoolmaster of America” rests primarily on his Spelling Book (1783), which enjoyed huge sales. He also produced a grammar and a reader that were sold as a set with the speller. Between 1785 and 1806, Webster wrote incessantly—on politics, language, and science, and also edited two influential periodicals, the American Magazine and the Minerva, which provided further outlets for his decidedly Federalist political opinions. His conservatism was particularly apparent in his essay The Revolution in France (1794).

After 1806, when Webster published his Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, he focused his energies on language theory and dictionaries. His much expanded American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) made the words “Webster” and “dictionary” virtually synonymous.

Webster's impact on American thought and culture was broad and long‐lasting. Once considered primarily a literary nationalist intent on limiting the influence of English books on Americans, he is better understood as a conservative force and partisan of New England habits and values. Increasingly alarmed by the growth of democracy and the decline of deference to the Federalist elite, Webster sought to use language to defend the virtues of a Calvinist, rural New England that was in nearly full retreat as America became more heterogeneous and cosmopolitan.
See also Antebellum Era; Early Republic, Era of the; Education: The Public School Movement; Federalist Party; Language, American; Nationalism; Whig Party.

Bibliography

Richard M. Rollins , The Long Journey of Noah Webster, 1980.
Richard J. Moss , Noah Webster, 1984.

Richard J. Moss