He was also influential in establishing the Copyright Act of 1831, the first major statutory revision of U.S. He was very influential in popularizing certain spellings in the United States. The following year, he started working on an expanded and comprehensive dictionary, finally publishing it in 1828. In 1806, Webster published his first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. Webster founded the Connecticut Society for the Abolition of Slavery in 1791 but later became somewhat disillusioned with the abolitionist movement. He returned to Connecticut in 1798 and served in the Connecticut House of Representatives. He became a prolific author, publishing newspaper articles, political essays, and textbooks. In 1793, Alexander Hamilton recruited Webster to move to New York City and become an editor for a Federalist Party newspaper.

He believed that American nationalism was superior to Europe because American values were superior. A strong supporter of the American Revolution and the ratification of the United States Constitution, Webster later criticized American society as being in need of an intellectual foundation. He found some financial success by opening a private school and writing a series of educational books, including the 'Blue-Backed Speller'.

He passed the bar examination after studying law under Oliver Ellsworth and others, but was unable to find work as a lawyer. Webster's name has become synonymous with 'dictionary' in the United States, especially the modern Merriam-Webster dictionary that was first published in 1828 as An American Dictionary of the English Language.īorn in West Hartford, Connecticut, Webster graduated from Yale College in 1778. His 'Blue-backed Speller' books taught five generations of American children how to spell and read. He has been called the 'Father of American Scholarship and Education'.

(Octo– May 28, 1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author. A portrait of Webster by Samuel Morse Webster's home in New Haven, Connecticut, where he wrote An American Dictionary of the English Language the home was later relocated to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.

Websters child dictionary online