|
“Remember the days of old, consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you.”
– Deuteronomy 32:7
The history of the English language isn’t just a dusty collection of names and dates from the past. It’s a mirror reflecting our society and a looking glass into how things came to be. Language is our most versatile tool, our most powerful tool; painting pictures, documenting truths, propagating lies, and establishing connections with others, but also to historical events. We take for granted our historical language and the people that helped shape our American foundation. In a world that can simply “Google” every definition, one man and his best-known work is often overlooked. He is a forgotten leader during a turning point in our nation’s history. His name is Noah Webster.
Truth In Education would like to highlight The Forgotten Founding Father, a book about Noah Webster; a man who was obsessed with the formulation of a free America and the creation of an American Culture that could be a beacon of truth to the rest of the world.
History is best told from living texts. Only from these perspectives can we truly understand cause and effect. If we forget we are doomed to repeat. And it seems that over the years of adaptations and evolution of language, crossing cultural boundaries, a lot of our American origins have become blurred or condemned. The story of Webster, from his roots starting New York City’s first daily newspaper, to the achievement he is best known for – the author of the first American Dictionary, we can learn what most don’t know: that he was a confidant to some of our greatest founding fathers like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
As an aside, literacy rates in the US have been steadily declining. Children read less. And if they do read, it’s often nonsense or sexually charged literature with no historical context and lots of corruptive slang. “Skibidi”, “Gyatt”, and “Rizz”? Really? Even more, they utilize a dictionary rarely, like it’s an ancient tool that belongs in a museum. Sadly, today two thirds of American Children are not even reaching basic proficiency in reading. “Last year, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), “the nation’s report card,” showed that not even half (43%) of fourth graders in the U.S. scored at or above a proficient level in reading. Students instead choose to verbally ask their questions to AI which audibly answers them. Literacy is becoming an archaic art form, and with the rise of AI, the nation is steadily being dumbed down.
The 1828 Webster's Dictionary, created by Noah Webster, holds significant importance in American history and culture for several reasons:
-
Preservation of American English: The 1828 dictionary was a deliberate effort to standardize American English, differentiating it from British English. It helped establish a unique American linguistic identity, which was crucial in the years following the United States' independence from Britain.
-
Influence of Biblical and Christian Values: Webster, a devout Christian, infused his work with a strong moral and biblical foundation. Many definitions in the 1828 dictionary were aligned with Christian principles and included references to the Bible. This reflects the values and worldview of early American society, which was deeply influenced by Christianity.
-
Educational Reform: Noah Webster was a firm believer in education as essential to good citizenship. His dictionary was designed to support literacy, education, and a common understanding of the language necessary for a functioning Constitutional Democratic Republic. By providing Americans with a tool to better understand their own language, the 1828 edition contributed to the spread of knowledge and education across the country.
-
Cultural and National Identity: The dictionary captured the unique American culture, including terms that were specific to the American experience and values, such as the concept of liberty, self-governance, and independence. It contributed to the intellectual framework of the new republic by providing a shared linguistic foundation for Americans.
-
Reflection of Founding Era Ideals: The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary also captured the spirit and ideals of America’s Founding Fathers. It was a product of the same intellectual climate that produced the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, reflecting the belief in individual responsibility, civic virtue, and self-government.
In sum, the 1828 Webster's Dictionary is important to the country because it preserves the language and values of early America, aligns with Christian morals, and serves as a historical document that reflects the mindset and principles of the nation during its formative years. Evermore, perhaps the unceasing decline in literacy rates is in part due to years and years of public schools deliberate wiping out of Etymology.
With no current necessity for language, why read? Just think, if the students of America knew the history of their language, rather than keeping up with the constant propaganda-based slang and jargon being added to online dictionary sources, they may have a better conceptual understanding of any core subject.
If we as a nation cannot read, we cannot protect ourselves legally, legislatively, constitutionally, and financially. We can't understand what we are actually voting for or against. We become slaves dependent upon what we are told and are unable to validate the information we are being fed.
Don't give up your freedom or your liberty to vote in the November 5, 2024, election. Who holds those positions has the power to vote for or against our families, our children, and the direction of our Republic.
May we always remember and preserve the history of our language and those behind it. May we honor our past,and America's founding fathers like Noah Webster, as a treasure we all share; that had a monumental impact on our country and our laws.
| 
