Sonya Neilson & Heather Moraru
Born on October 16, 1758 to an average colonial family. Noah had two brothers, Charles and Abraham, who helped their father on the farm. He also had two sisters, Mercy and Jerusha, who helped their mother prepare the food and clothing for the family. During this period few people went to college. Noah loved to learn so his parents sent him to Yale. At the time, Yale was Connecticut’s only college. At the same time Noah attended Yale, the Revolutionary War was taking place. Upon graduation in 1778, Noah wanted to attend law school. His parents had no more money for college so he began teaching to earn a living.
King George III of Britain came to the throne in 1760. Following his succession to the throne and several rulings by the British Parliament, including the Stamp Act of 1765, the American people became increasing dissatisfied with their ties to the motherland. The Stamp Act, which called for American colonists to purchase stamps for mortgages, deeds, liquor licenses, law licenses, playing cards, almanacs, and newspapers, in particular, in flamed many colonists to cry out against the British. The slogan “no taxation without representation” quickly became popular.
The Stamp Act was declared illegal and unjust by the Virginia Assembly, which also passed resolutions against taxation by the British Parliament. An invitation to a general congress was sent out by the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Representatives from New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina, and Massachusetts participated. The Stamp Act Congress, which met in New York in October 1765, proclaimed that stamp taxes had to be approved by the people. The resistance of the American colonists led to the British Parliament repealing the Stamp Act in 1766. This did not end the struggle between the British Parliament and the American colonists. It came to a head the following decade.
On Dec. 16, 1773, American colonists disguised as Indians emptied 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor to avoid paying British taxes on the tea. The response by the British Parliament, which came to be known as the Intolerable Acts, became a rallying point and helped to unify the American colonists and brought them closer to seeking independence from Britain.
The Intolerable Acts, which were passed in early 1774 by the British Parliament, were intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.
“The first act, the Boston Port Act, closed the port of Boston. According to this law, the port would be reopened only after Bostonians paid for the tea and showed a proper respect for British authority. The second act provided that any officer or soldier of the British government who was arrested for murder could be sent to England for trial. The third act, called the Massachusetts Government Act, changed the charter of Massachusetts. It provided for a council appointed by the Crown and prohibited town meetings without the governor's permission, except to elect officers. The fourth act required the colonists to quarter (feed and house) British soldiers.” (World Book)
Even though the Intolerable Acts were intended to punish one American colony, they played a vital role in unifying 13 American colonies.
At the age of 43, Noah began writing the first American Dictionary. He felt that all Americans should speak and spell the same. It took him over 27 years to complete the dictionary. When finished it had 70,000 words in it.
http://www.m-w.com/about/noah.htm
http://www.ctstateu.edu/noahweb/biography.html
http://snyders.ws/alan/quotes/webster.htm
John L. Bullion, "Stamp Act," World Book Online Americas Edition,
http://www.worldbookonline.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/528680, December 3, 2001.
Pauline Maier, "Boston Tea Party," World Book Online Americas Edition,
http://www.worldbookonline.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/071320, December 3, 2001.
John L. Bullion, "Intolerable Acts," World Book Online Americas Edition,
http://www.worldbookonline.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/279900, December 3, 2001.