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The California Gold Rush cartoon 1849 (The Wild West)

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Meet Noah Webster

'How do you spell onomatopoeia?'

'I have no clue. Why don't you check Webster's?'

If that conversation makes perfect sense to you, it is because Noah Webster was an influential man who, perhaps more than anyone else in history, has contributed to creating a unified and uniquely American style of the English language. As important as that work is, Webster's influence extends much further. Let's take a look at his background, and how he helped shape the post-revolution American educational landscape.

Webster was born in Connecticut in 1758 to what today would most likely be described as a middle-class family. Webster's father was a farmer and a weaver, and his mother was a homemaker. Webster wasn't born a child whose social class had destined him for higher education, but college was a path he chose to pursue. In 1774, he set out for Yale, from which he would graduate in 1778. Post-graduation, Webster would pursue a career as a teacher, and this is where his exposure to the condition of the American education system spurred him to follow a path of educational innovation.

Becoming an Innovator

American schools in the late 1700s could be described as unorganized at best. The majority of the education system existed in the form of one-room schoolhouses. The curriculum in these schools was hardly uniform, and the teachers in these schools were usually informally prepared. In short, there was not much of an investment in the educational landscape. It sort of existed to provide the basics, and even these basics varied. Few pursued a higher education beyond the one-room schoolhouse.

Webster felt that this state of education had to change. He, like many other thinkers and innovators of his day, saw education as a vehicle for social mobility. In a country that was in its infancy, Noah saw no better time than the present to begin making changes for the better.

Now, there were a number of directions that Webster could have followed. Keep in mind that these schools were poorly funded, and the teachers were poorly trained. Other educational innovators throughout American history have pursued combating those ills. Just look at the work of scholars, such as Horace Mann, Maria Montessori, or John Dewey, just to name a few. Webster, however, chose a slightly different but equally important route. Let's focus on Webster's specific route.

Creating a Unified, American Language

Webster's contribution to the innovation of American education takes the focus of a unified language approach. While Webster worked as a teacher, he made an astute observation. Most of the textbooks used in American schools retained a British focus, from the content to the language. As with any culture that has existed for any amount of time, the American culture, and certainly the American language, had grown quite different from its British origins. This would become the focus of Webster's life's work.

Webster's first contribution to the reform effort was the creation of his own textbook. In 1783, he published, A Grammatical Institute of the English Language. This book became commonly known as the 'Blue-Backed Speller' because of its blue cover. The focus of this book was to teach children to read, spell, and write, but the approach was uniquely American. In fact, the book was written in a way that broke down complex ideas into simple stages.

This was a unique approach, and in many ways, it was a pedagogical approach that was quite advanced for the era. This book was extremely successful, sold nearly 100 million copies, and remained in classrooms for nearly 100 years after its initial publication.

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noah webster's impact on education - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Noah Webster's Impact on Education - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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'How do you spell onomatopoeia?' 'I have no clue. Why don't you check Webster's?' If that conversation makes perfect sense to you, it is because Noah Webster was an influential man who, perhaps more than anyone else in history, has contributed to creating a unified and uniquely American style of the English language.

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Excerpt from the History Channel's The Presidents series featuring James Monroe.

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Here's an inside look at what life was like for the Lowell mill girls. Pictures are from the actual factory in Lowell. Photos an information are from the actual remaining factory in Lowell, MA.

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Mill Times: David Macaulay

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www.tomrichey.net In his second term, President Thomas Jefferson struggled to maintain U.S. neutrality while Europe was at war. The result was the Embargo Act of 1807. Mr. Richey explains the circumstances surrounding the Embargo Act in the first part of his series on The Trials of the Jeffersonians. "OH, THIS CURSED OGRABME!!!"

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Thomas Jefferson | 60-Second Presidents | PBS

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An over five minute educational video all about the Embargo Act of 1807 (who, what, when, where, why) In his second term, President Thomas Jefferson struggled to maintain U.S. neutrality while Europe was at war. The result was the Embargo . This video is about My Movie 2.

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Uploaded by Documentary Show on 2017-01-06.

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HipHughes goes old school style on the Election of 1800, explaining the basics on one of the most contested, dirty, controversial elections this side of 2000. Check out all the ELECTION VIDS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8C7B72D8B769A0A0