1785 pamphlet, Sketches Of American Policy, also exemplified Websters dedication as a member of the Federalist Party. This pamphlet recommended the proposed United States Constitution be adopted and became such an inspiration for the U.S. Constitution that in 1787 it replaced the Articles of Confederation. In 1830 Webster convinced Congress to enact a new federal bill that gave authors the right to copyright their works for 28 years, allowing their wives and children able to renew it for an additional 14 years. The law remained in effect until 1909, with the latest Copyright Act revised in 1976 and enacted in 1978, guaranteeing copyright- holders life protection plus 50 years. Recentlyto conform to international standards the term was extended to life plus 70 years (White 5). A self-proclaimed insatiable collector of information and a lover of words, Webster did many other things in his life than define, spell and research so many words that his name became synonymous with the American dictionary (Bush 1508). He lobbied for copyright laws, wrote textbooks, Americanized the English language and edited magazines. Briefly, Webster settled in New York City in 1793, where he founded New York's first daily newspaper, The Minerva, which later became The Commercial Advertiser. During the time he spent in New York, Webster also began a semiweekly called The Herald, later known as The Spectator. Both the daily and semiweekly newspapers were in strong support of the Federalist Party (.After leaving New York City, Webster returned to Connecticut where he settled in New Haven around 1803. Written in 1806, the over 40,000-word A Compendious Dictionary Of The American Language enfolded and approved a free people's developing vernacular, with such spelling reforms as "jail" instead of "gaol" and "defense" rather than "defence" (White 5). Most importantly, Noah Webster owns the unique distinction of having single-handedly rescued the English La...
