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Statue of Noah Webster at Amherst  College from

Top 9 Facts about Noah Webster

Noah Webster was born on October 16, 1758, in the West Division of Hartford, Connecticut (now West Hartford).

He was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author.

He has been called the “Father of American Scholarship and Education”.

His “Blue-backed Speller” books taught five generations of American children how to spell and read.

Webster grew up in an average colonial family 鈥� his father farmed and worked as a weaver, while his mother worked at home.

At the time, few people went to college, but Webster enjoyed learning so much that his parents sent him to Yale, Connecticut鈥檚 first college.

Webster wanted to continue his education by studying law, but his parents could not afford to give him more money for school.

After thinking about his options, Webster began working as a teacher.

He later became a lexicographer who set out to Americanize the English language.

He authored dictionaries that at the birth of the union and helped create a national identity.

Let’s have a look at 10  facts about Noah Webster.

1. Noah Webster Debated and Wrote on Global Warming

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Noah Webster developed a keen interest in the climate. Through meticulous observation of weather patterns, he noted that there were changes occasioned by human activities.

He gathered evidence that proved large scale agricultural activities had a direct effect on climate change in America.

During his time farmer were cutting down large tracts of forest to create fields Webster held high profile debates on climate change with Thomas Jefferson.

He published the debate speeches and authored a definitive pamphlet, Are our Winters Getting Warmer (1810) for public consumption.

2. Webster  Considered Slavery Immoral

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Webster believed it was the responsibility of white Americans to end abolition for the moral and economic good of the nation.

He was instrumental in the founding of the Hartford Anti Slavery Society in Connecticut in 1791.

He found all forms of slavery disgusting, arguing freemen were far more productive as was in his native Connecticut.

In 1792 he was elected secretary of the Hartford society where he gave lectures on the topic.

The lectures were later published under the title Effects of Slavery, on Morals and Industry. He held the view that emancipation should be done in phases.

3. Noah Webster Set up New York’s First Newspaper

Another informative fact is that Webster was also a gifted scribe. 1n 1793 American Minerva a daily newspaper in New York. It was the first pro federalist daily at the time.

Although Webster was the newspaper鈥檚 editor he wrote a huge amount of content. The American Minerva newspaper later changed its name to, Commercial Advertiser.

He also created a semi-weekly paper named The Herald which reprinted selected content from the daily paper.

Webster’s newspaper is listed in the library of congress as; The Minerva, Patroness of Peace, Commerce, and the Liberal Arts (New York) 1793-1794)

4. Interesting Fact; Webster鈥檚 wasn鈥檛 the First American Dictionary

Interestingly, Webster’s Lexicographical work was not the only one available in the market.

In the 1700s the settler community depended on dictionaries from England.

Other lexicographers in America were writing their dictionaries. When Webster launched his Compendious Dictionary of English, it found a crowded U.S book market.

As a matter of fact, one Joseph Worcester had published Worcester鈥檚 Comprehensive Pronouncing and English Dictionary the same year as Webster鈥檚.

Samuel Johnson鈥檚 Dictionary of the English Language regarded as more definitive than Webster鈥檚 dictionary affected his sales.

5. Webster鈥檚 Dictionary Contained 70,000 Words

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The fact is Webster was a talented wordsmith. The first version of his dictionary in 1806 had 40,600 words which came as a shocker to his critics. 

He continued working on the dictionary with the assistance of a clerk.

Webster Americanized the spelling of some words because British spelling was complicated. In addition, introduced new words, unique to America such as squash, skunk etc.

In 1825, after 27 years of labour Webster completed his dictionary. By then it contained 70,000 words, 12,000 of which were making their debut.

Webster is the only individual to write a dictionary alone.

A fact that made Webster a brilliant lexicographer was that he learnt 23 languages. He was America鈥檚 pioneer language scholar.

His wide grasp of languages assisted him to understand the origins of different words for better definition. His dogmatic Christian leaning made him believe Aramaic was the 鈥榤other鈥� language.

The languages he acquired include German, Dutch, Spanish, French, Welsh, Italian, Russian, Persian, Arabic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Gothic, Aramaic, Sanskrit and Old English and Cambridge English.

6. Webster鈥檚 Childhood Home is Now a Museum

Photograph of the front facade of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society by Msact from

Noah Webster was truly a great son of Connecticut. His work on emancipation, reforms in education and trailblazing journalism left an indelible mark in history.

His biggest contribution was the standardization of American English. 

Webster’s childhood is a public museum after restoration. It hosts a permanent exhibition on Noah Webster, galleries and a theatre.

The original edition of Webster鈥檚 American Dictionary of the English Language is domiciled in the museum.

It regularly holds cultural programs. Further, it offers many free services to at-risk children.

7.  Noah Webster the Copyright Law Champion

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Noah Webster was instrumental in the passing of the first copyright law.

He campaigned throughout the whole country and in Congress for the legislation.

He also played part in its statutory revision known as the Copyright Act of 1831.   Copyright laws protect the literary works of all writers.

Noah Webster’s proposals ensured the laws protected writers for 28 years.

The law ensured writers enjoyed the fruits of their labour by discouraging plagiarism.

8. Webster Predicted the USA Population Boom.

In a bizarre fact, Noah Webster predicted almost accurately the population of the USA.

The dictionary was authored at a turbulent time making the population prediction a remarkable feat.

At the time of his forecast, America was home to approximately 13 million.

In the introduction to his American Dictionary, he wrote:

鈥淚t has been my aim in this work, now offered to my fellow citizen 鈥�..and in this manner, to furnish a standard of our vernacular tongue, which we shall not be ashamed to bequeath to three hundred millions of  people, who are destined to occupy, and I hope, to adorn the vast territory within our jurisdiction.鈥�

The American population in 2021 is estimated at three hundred and thirty-two million persons, so he was spot on.

9. The American Dictionary Sunk Him in Debt

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The American Dictionary sold for between $13 and $20,  a princely sum in the 19^th century.  Although 2,500 copies were sold,  Webster still made losses.

Not one to give up easily, he mortgaged his house in New Haven to finance the second edition. The second edition experienced poor sales too. 

The Merriam brothers bought all unsold copies of the 2^nd edition and rights to publish future editions hence the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Noah Webster was a key influence in the reformation of American English. He described the language as the vernacular tongue of America that directly touched on the American identity.

Webster sought intellectual divorce from Britain by developing Americanized school books. He abhorred slavery and spoke out against it.

The American Dictionary was a labour of love,  he worked on it to the end of his life despite incurring debt.