Websters Dictionary

Websters dictionary was the work of Noah Webster who was born October 16, 1758 in Hartford Connecticut. His family had lived there since colonial times. His father who lived from 1722-1813 was a farmer. He was a descendant of Connecticut Governor John Webster. Noah’s mother was a descendant of William Bradford the governor of the Plymouth colony.

When Noah was 16 he began attending Yale College. His college years were during the American Revolutionary war. He served in the Connecticut militia which could have gotten him killed, thus stopping Websters dictionary before it had ever been started.

When he was 20 Webster wanted to earn a law degree. He taught school to earn money for his education. Once he was able to begin practicing law in 1789 he found he did not like it. So he returned to teaching. He set up small schools that didn’t do well.

He married a rather well-connected woman in 1789. As a result he was amongst the elite of the social ladder. But he didn’t have much money. He borrowed $1500 from Alexander Hamilton so that he could move to New York City to start a newspaper. While there he became a publisher. This was the true beginning of his path to Websters dictionary. He published many textbooks while writing newspaper articles at an incredible rate. He served in the Connecticut House of Representatives after moving back there in 1798.

While he was teaching he found conditions rather poor. Schools were often overcrowded, with perhaps 70 children of various ages all in one room. The teachers were not well trained. There weren’t many supplies. Webster decided that American children should learn from American books. So he wrote a three volume set ? a speller, a grammar book, and a reader. His goal was to rescue American English from what he called the pedantry of English grammar and pronunciation. He believed that the people, not archaic languages like a Latin and Greek, should control the language.

It was this work that led him to the eventual creation of the first Websters dictionary. Over time that original work was revised. And when Webster died the Merriam brothers purchased the rights to his name and his work. Eventually these dictionaries became so popular, that the name Webster became a generic term for all English-language dictionaries.

Now you know the history of Websters dictionary.

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