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Major
Events of Noah Webster's Life
1758 - Present
Day
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Major
Events in United States History
1758 - Present Day |
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Noah Webster's
boyhood farm home was owned by Noah Webster Sr. and Mercy Steele
Webster. He was born Oct. 16 on a farm in
the West Division of Hartford, Connecticut, the area later to become
known as West Hartford.
Noah Webster's birth home lot plan
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1754-1763 |
French
and Indian War: Final clash in the long struggle between the British
and French for control of eastern North America. The British win a decisive
victory over the French and formally
gain control of Canada and all the French possessions east of the Mississippi.
French and Indian War** |
| 1758 |
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Noah Webster's birth home
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1770 |
Boston Massacre, British troops fire into
a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests. |
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Boston Massacre
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| 1772 |
Starts studies with Reverend
Nathan Perkins, an influential figure in the anti-slavery movement. |
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1773 |
Boston Tea Party |
The Boston Tea Party
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| 1774-1778 |
Noah
Attends Yale.
His studies are interrupted by the ongoing conflict with the
British. Because the British burn valuable food supplies food shortages
caused Noah's sophomore class to be sent to Glastonbury, Connecticut.
As a student-soldier Noah witnesses the burning of Kingston, then the
New York state capital, by the British. While at Yale
Noah meets many influential people who will play critical roles in the founding
and establishment of the new country of the United States. |
1774 |
First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia,
with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia. |
Yale, Connecticut Hall |
1775 |
Revolutionary War begins at Lexington and
Concord, MA. |
| 1776 |
Continental Congress signs The Declaration of
Independence. |
The Declaration of Independence
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1777-1778 |
Continental Congress approves the first official
flag of the United States (June 14, 1777).
Battle-weary and destitute Continental army spends
brutally cold winter and following spring at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. |
First Official Flag of the US |
| 1779-1781 |
Teaches
school in Hartford
and West Hartford, Connecticut. Opens a highly successful school
in Sharon,
Connnecticut (June 1, 1781). Studies
law in Litchfield.
Admitted to bar in Hartford. Compiles Speller. Wrote
that schools
should not just teach girls the "ornamental arts" (music, drawing,
dancing, etc.). They should teach girls their legal rights, so that they
could protect their interests and property if they were left without a father,
husband, or other protector. This belief expressed by Noah
was very much against the common thought of the period. In
an extremely radical shift for the era, Noah Webster rejects the use of
the Bible as a school textbook, believing that studying it too much would
lessen its value as a spiritual guide. |
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| 1781 |
Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S.
constitution (Nov. 15, 1781).
Huge French naval fleet arrives
off the coast of Virginia this summer in support of the colonies against
their mutual enemy, the British. This was a major
turning point in the War for Independence. |
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| 1782 |
In Newburgh,
N. Y., on his way to Goshen, NY where he will teach, he comes across
a large camp of the victorious militias and hears for the first time
the diverse languages of the colonies, varieties of English, Gaelic,
French, Swedish, Dutch and accents and dialects of the newly formed
colonies. Noah realizes that it will be impossible to maintain a united
country should these diverse languages not give way to a standard American
English.
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| 1783-1785 |
Publishes "Blue-Backed
Speller" as
Part I of A Grammatical Institute of the English Language, followed
by Part II, a grammar, and Part III, a grammar and reader. Practices
law in Hartford. Publishes Sketches
of American Policy, a plan for a new form of federal government.
All but two of his principles expressed in Sketches are integrated
into the Constitution. |
1783 |
England signs peace treaty granting U.S.
independence. Ending the American Revolutionary War. |
| 1784 |
Gradual Emancipation Act in
Connecticut and Rhode Island, all slaves born after March 1,
1784 would be free at age twenty-five. |
Cover of Part
I of A Grammatical Institute of the English Language |
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| 1785-1786 |
Noah
uses his Yale contacts to gain influence. For instance, he visits George
Washington at Mt. Vernon, lectures and tours/visits
various states to promote sales of his textbooks and to secure copyright legislation. He moves to Philadelphia where he befriends Ben Franklin. He is present in
Philadelphia during the Constitutional Convention. Even though he is
not elected to be a participant in the actual Convention he is still
a very influential figure through his daily evening discussions with
the attending delegates. Obtains
nation's first state copyright laws.
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| 1786 |
Shay's Rebellion, Massachusetts (1786-1787). |
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| 1787-1789 |
Moves to N. Y. City.
Founds The
American Magazine, with influential essays on the new Constitution,
history, education and good morals. Publishes Dissertations
on the English Language, a call for
grammar and spelling reform. Marries Rebecca Greenleaf.
Moves to Hartford
to practice law. |
1787 |
Constitutional Convention, in Philadelphia
(1787). Delaware enters the Union as the first state (1787). |
Rebecca
Greenleaf, Noah Webster's wife.
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1788 |
U.S. Constitution
ratified. Noah
Webster's Sketches are implemented except for his suggestion of
universal education and the end of slavery. The Constitution
recognizes intellectual property. Article
1, Section 8 empowers Congress, "To
promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited
Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective
Writings and Discoveries." Connecticut
becomes the fifth state to enter the Union. State legislation outlaws the slave trade in Connecticut. Connecticut ratifies the United States Constitution.(see vs. first sent., 1788, above) |
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1789 |
George Washington inaugurated
as first President, April 30th. |
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| 1790 |
First child,
Emily Scholten, born on August 4, 1790. Sponsors publication of Governor
John Winthrop's Journal. Publishes A
Collection of Essays and Fugitive Writings, in which he also tests
some of his ideas on simplified spelling. Compiles The Little
Reader's Assistant. Publishes The Prompter, a collection
of homilies, similar
to "Poor Richard's Almanac", which had previously appeared
in The
Courant. Congress passes national copyright law which supersedes the
limited copyright laws that Noah had pioneered.
By 1790 Webster's spelling book was used in almost every school. |
1790 |
The nation's first census shows that the
population has climbed to nearly 4 million. By 2006
the population of the United States will have reached nearly 300 million. Ben Franklin dies, April 17, 1790. |
U.S. Population Chart, 1790 - 2000 |
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| 1791 |
Helped found The Connecticut Society for the Promotion
of Freedom |
1791 |
Bill of Rights went into effect Dec. 15. No
mention of education in any of the amendments but the 10th amendment
makes education a state issue, not federal. |
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| 1792 |
Webster's
34th birthday, Oct. 16, 1792. Writes, An Essay Concerning the Effects of
Slavery. |
1792 |
Washington elected to
second term as President. In Connecticut, transport of slaves to other
states for the purpose of sale is outlawed. |
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| 1793 |
Second child, Frances Juliana, born February 5th. Moves
to N. Y. City to publish Federalist Party daily newspaper, The American
Minerva, and semi-weekly Herald. Confronts French ambassador-spy
Edmond Genet. |
1793 |
Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin, greatly
increasing the demand for slave labor in the United States. A federal fugitive
slave law is enacted, providing for the return slaves who had escaped and
crossed state lines. |
Cotton Gin
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| 1794 |
Noah's mother, Mercy Steele Webster,
dies. Two weeks before Noah's 36th birthday. |
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| 1797 |
Third daughter, Harriet, born April
6, 1797. |
1797 |
Vice President John Adams
elected to succeed George Washington as President. Connecticut
Gradual Emancipation Act is changed so that slaves born after August 1, 1797
will be free at age twenty-one. Not age 25 as had been previously the case. |
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| 1798 |
Moves to New Haven (See
1799, "moves back to New Haven"), Connecticut, population
4,000, to practice law and publish
scientific and literary works. Publishes monumental, A
Brief History of Epidemic and Pestilential Diseases (see 1799 conflict
of pub. date). Serves
in state legislature.
Spends much time with his young family singing, dancing, and playing parlor
games of the period including anagrams and crossword puzzles. |
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| 1799 |
Fourth child, Noah's favorite, Mary,
born January 7th. Publishes History of Epidemic and Pestilential Diseases, world's
first study of epidemic diseases(see 1798 conflict
of pub. date). Moves back to New Haven, lives in Benedict
Arnold's house. |
1799 |
December 14, George Washington dies two months short
of his 68th birthday. |
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1800 |
Federal government moves
to Washington, D.C. Jefferson defeats Adams for the Presidency. |
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| 1801 |
Fifth child, first son, William Greenleaf, born September
15th. |
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| 1802 |
1802-12, Webster publishes new
textbooks collectively called Elements of Useful Knowledge, in
four volumes, to improve education at every level in
American schools. Years correct????.
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1803 |
Louisiana Purchase. The United States buys The Louisiana
Territory from France for fifteen million dollars, resulting in a nearly
doubling of the size of the U.S. |
Louisiana Purchase
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| 1804 |
Noah's Speller selling about
200,000 copies a year. U.S. population about 6 million. |
1804 |
The Lewis and Clark Expedition set out from St. Louis,
Missouri, to explore the Louisiana Purchase and lands West and to find
a route to the Pacific Ocean. U.S.
population about 6 million. Thomas Jefferson maintains
Presidency in a near sweep of electoral votes. |
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| 1806 |
Publishes A Compendious dictionary of
the English Language, with 40,000 definitions.This is the third American
dictionary to be published. |
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| 1808 |
Eighth and last child, Louisa, born April 2nd. |
1808 |
Madison elected to the Presidency. Congress bans the
importation of slaves from Africa. |
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| 1812 |
Sells New Haven home and Moves to Amherst, Massachusetts. Begins American
Dictionary of the English Language. |
1812 |
U.S. President Madison declares war (June 19) on Britain
(War of 1812); Madison elected to second term. |
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| 1813 |
Noah Webster, Sr. dies. |
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| 1814 |
Noah Webster helps organize Hartford Convention, demanding
changes to the Constitution. |
1814 |
British
burn the White House and Capital. Francis Scott Key writes
Star-Spangled Banner as he watches British attack on Fort McHenry at
Baltimore. |
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1817 |
Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction
of the Deaf and Dumb, today known as the American School for the Deaf, opened by Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. |
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| 1819 |
Webster's favorite child, Mary, dies at
age twenty. |
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1820 |
The Missouri Compromise bans slavery north of the southern
boundary of Missouri. |
| 1821 |
Serves state
legislature. Helps found Amherst College. |
1821 |
First public high school opens
in Boston . |
Amherst College |
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| 1822-1823 |
Moves back to New Haven, Connecticut from Amherst, Massachusetts. Awarded Doctor of Laws Degree from
Yale. |
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| 1824-1825 |
Travels with his son to Paris, France, and
then Cambridge University, in England, to finish research on his dictionary. |
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| 1828 |
Publishes 70,000 word American Dictionary of the
English Language. |
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Webster's 1828(yr.?) Dictionary |
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1829-1837 |
Andrew Jackson President. |
| 1830-1831 |
Visits Washington, D.C.
Successfully addresses House of Representatives to enact new federal copyright
law (1831)
which remains in whole or in part until 1909. Dines with President Andrew Jackson (1830). Publishes Biography,
for the Use of Schools. |
1831 |
Nat Turner, an enslaved African-American preacher in Virginia, leads
the most significant slave uprising in American history . |
Nat Turner |
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| 1832 |
Publishes History of the United States and A
Collection of Papers on Political, Literary and Moral Subjects. |
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| 1833 |
Publishes his own revision of the Holy Bible, writing
in American literary idiom. |
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Cover of Webster's Holy Bible |
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| 1836 |
Webster's speller becomes well established as the national
guide of elementary schools throughout the nation. |
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Map of the U.S., 1836
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| 1838 |
Noah Webster celebrates his eightieth birthday. |
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| 1839 |
Noah and Elizabeth Greenleaf Webster celebrate their
fiftieth wedding anniversary |
1839-1841 |
Amistad trial. First state-funded
school specifically for teacher education opens in Lexington, Massachusetts,
called Normal Schools. |
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| 1841 |
Publishes second edition of An American Dictionary.
Always hopeful of uniting the American and English languages, sends a leather
bound copy to American Ambassador Andrew Stevenson to present to Queen
Victoria in England. |
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| 1843 |
Noah Webster
Dies on May 28th in New Haven, Connecticut, at the age of eighty-six. Buried in
Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven. |
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Noah Webster's grave, Grove Street Cemetary, New Haven,
Connecticut
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Noah Webster's Influence After His Death
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1845 |
Florida and Texas admitted into the Union as the 27th
and 28th state, respectively. |
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| 1847 |
Rebecca
Greenleaf, Noah Webster's wife, dies. Merriam brothers publish enlarged
and improved edition of Webster's Dictionary.It sells for $6.00 a copy.
Marked down from $20 a copy. |
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1848 |
Connecticut outlaws slavery. |
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1850 |
Fugitive Slave Law causes larger split between
Northern and Southern states and spurs abolitionism. |
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1852 |
Massachusetts enacts first mandatory school
attendance law. By 1885, 16 states have compulsory attendance laws. All
states have them by 1918. |
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| 1857 |
By this date
Webster's,
The Elementary Spelling Book was the national standard, with virtually all children in American schools carrying out Webster's dream
of learning to "speak alike". |
1857-1861 |
James Buchanan President. |
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| 1859 |
Mississippi senator and future
president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, declares,
"Above all other people, we are one, and above all books which have
united us in the bond of common language, I place the good old Spelling-Book
of Noah Webster. We have a unity of language no other people possesses,
and we owe this unity, above all else, to Noah Webster's Yankee Spelling-Book." (1) |
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Jefferson Davis
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1861 |
Abraham Lincoln elected President. |
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1861-1865 |
American Civil War.
January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation. Thirteenth
Amendment, officially abolishing slavery, passed in 1865. Abraham Lincoln
assassinated and Andrew Johnson becomes President (1865) .
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| 1880 |
Webster's
speller continues to be "the largest sale of any book in the world
except the Bible." according to William H. Appleton, who had been
printing the book for the Merriam brothers. |
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1881 |
James Abram Garfield elected President.
He is assassinated in the same year. |
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| 1899 |
By the end of the 19th century,
estimated total sales of the speller achieved between 70 - 100 million,
with pirated versions making an exact estimate of copies sold impossible. |
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| 1901 |
And
beyond. The popularity of Webster's speller makes the spelling bee the
most popular form of home entertainment well into the twentieth century,
when it was replaced by the radio. |
1901-1909 |
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt is President. |
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| 1930s |
Schools
in the rural South continue to use Webster's speller in their classroom into the late 1930s. |
1933 |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected
President. He will be the only President elected to three terms, 1933
-194. Roosevelt was President for nearly all except a few months of World War II (WW II). |
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1961-1963 |
John F. Kennedy serves as President of the United States. |
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| 1987 |
Webster's
speller remains in print, mostly as collector's items. |
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2001 |
George W. Bush is elected President. |
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| 2007 |
Facsimile editions
of Noah Webster's Speller continue to be printed for sale by the Noah Webster Foundation and
West Hartford Historical Society. |
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2008 |
Barack Obama elected the first African American President of the United States |
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Print
out and fill in your own timeline of Noah Webster's life!! |
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*"--//--" = Break in graphic representation of years
listed in this timeline.
(1) Harry R. Warfel, Noah
Webster, Schoolmaster to America (New York: Macmillan Company, 1936;
reprint, Octagon Books, New York, 1966), 84. (Warfel
Source listed on p. 346, Unger, # 28)
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** Source: http://www.edmaps.com |
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