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.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |