The Educational Ideas Of Noah Webster

This thesis studies the educational ideas of Noah Webster. Its structure is as following:Introduction summarizes the past and current studying of Webster at home and abroad, introduces the studying meaning and creative ideas of this thesis, and explains the materials used in it.The text consists of four parts as following.The first part analyzes the main educational ideas of Webster in his early days. Influenced by the ideas of puritanism and enlightenment, he thought highly of the effects of education and believed that human was virtuous, so we could cultivate republican citizens by education. The experiences during the War of Independence had raised his patriotism. After the United States was built up, he thought that if language was not unified, and culture wasn't independent, the unity of different nations and independence of the country would not be realized. So he began to carry out language revolution in the domain of education. In 1783, Webster published The Spelling Book, in order to cultivate republican citizens and to promote national unity by purifying language. In this period, Webster's educational ideas were radical, and was not accepted by many people.The second part analyzes the main educational ideas of Webster in his later period. About 1800, influenced by the fight of party struggles and Genet affair, Webster changed his views of human nature, and worried that enlarging democracy would destroy social steady and national unification. Therefore, he published The American Dictionary of the English Language and wanted to promote language purification and standardization. He hoped that people would follow the language standard, thereby follow social orders, and stabilize the society. In view of social political reality, and also hoping that people could accept his language revolution, Webster's educational ideas tended to be conservative.The third part analyzes the historic position of Webster's educational ideas. Webster insisted that education should be established on the basis of science; education should be popular for cultivating republican citizens; education should be practical to American's reality. All his educational views removed religious elements from education since the colonial period, popularized education in American, contributed to the national unification and unity.The fourth part is conclusion. During the whole life of Webster, although he changed his political points, he consistently sticked to get religious elements out of American education, which developed the American independent educational system, and promoted American cultural independence. He is competent of the title of the schoolmaster of America.