Noah Webster
Dates covered: 1758-1843
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Books:
An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin and Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution Once upon a revolutionary time, two great American patriots tried to make life easier. They knew how hard it was to spell words in English. They knew that sounds didn’t match letters. They knew that the problem was an inconvenient English alphabet. In 1786, Ben Franklin, at age eighty, and Noah Webster, twenty-eight, teamed up. Their goal? Make English easier to read and write. But even for great thinkers, what seems easy can turn out to be hard. Picture Book. Younger to Middle Students. Level 3.9.
Noah Webster: Boy of Words Childhood of Famous Americans series. Young Noah Webster was slim, red-haired, and quick-tempered but most of all he was inquisitive. There was no telling what he might do to find out when, why, where, or how something had happened. He was most inquisitive about words. For some reason, words were important to him. They were exciting and strange, and he wanted to learn as much about them as he could. There was never a dull moment for Noah in those days before the Revolutionary War. Middle students. Connecticut.
Noah Webster: Man of Many Words Noah Webster may be best remembered for the enormous and ambitious task of writing his famous dictionary, but there was much more to his accomplishments. His goal was to streamline the language spoken in a newly formed country so it could be used as a force to bring people together and a source of national pride. Though people laughed at his ideas, Webster never doubted himself. In the end, his so-called foolish notions achieved just what he had hoped. Here, in the only biography of Noah Webster written for teen readers, we journey through Webster’s remarkable life, from boyhood on a Connecticut farm, through the fight for American independence, to his days as a writer and political activist who greatly influenced our founding fathers and the direction of the young United States. Level 7.9. Older students. Connecticut.
Noah Webster and His Words Webster’s American Dictionary is the second most popular book ever printed in English. But who was that Webster? Noah Webster (1758–1843) was a bookish Connecticut farm boy who became obsessed with uniting America through language. He spent twenty years writing two thousand pages to accomplish that, and the first 100 percent American dictionary was published in 1828 when he was seventy years old. This clever, hilariously illustrated account shines a light on early American history and the life of a man who could not rest until he’d achieved his dream. An illustrated chronology of Webster’s life makes this a picture-perfect biography. Picture book. Level 5.2. Younger to Middle students. Connecticut.
Noah Webster, famous for writing the first dictionary of the English language as spoken in the United States, was known in his day for his bold ideas and strong opinions about, well, everything. Spelling, politics, laws, you name it―he had something to say about it. He even commented on his own opinions! With a red pencil in hand, Noah often marked up work that he had already published. So who edited this book? It certainly looks like the ghost of the great American author and patriot picked up a pencil once again to comment on his own biography! Younger to Middle students.
Movies/Videos/Documentaries
Museums/Field Trips (including virtual):
- Noah Webster’s House, Hartford, Connecticut
