Noah Webster & the Rise of Partisan Politics

Noah Webster & the Rise of Partisan Politics in a Divided America

Thursday, March 12, 2026

6:30 p.m.

In 1789, Noah Webster rejoiced along with his countrymen at the auspicious inauguration of George Washington, America’s first president. Webster wrote to his new brother-in-law to explain that the many months spent as a forceful advocate on behalf of the new Federal Constitution were now over, and he would leave his teaching and political work in Philadelphia to return to Connecticut; once back home, he could practice law, enjoy married life, and raise a family. Noah Webster was only 31 years old.

However, a quiet, private life was not yet possible for Webster, as there was much work left for him to do in service of his country. Daunting as it had been for the Founding Fathers to design a new Federal government that met the approval of citizens in thirteen, very diverse states, the business of governing the nation under the provisions of the new U.S. Constitution would threaten to tear the young nation apart.

All the Framers of the Constitution, (and Webster…whose ideas strongly influenced them) worried that political “factions,” or “parties,” would naturally contest each other for political power and control of national policies enforced by the new Federal government. They anticipated that these factions would appeal to the base of “popular” support and devolve into the kind of social anarchy that was then sweeping across Revolutionary France.

By the time President John Adams assumed office in 1797, those fears were realized. Although Webster spent significant time on his great educational works like the American Dictionary of the English Language, he continued to fully engage in media conflict on behalf of the Federalist Party. The Federalists dominated urban centers and the northeast but were losing influence with the rural districts, as the Democratic-Republican Party coalesced around the leadership of Virginians Thomas Jefferson & James Madison.

The presidential election of 1800 was a vicious contest on both sides but is recognized as our nation’s first “peaceful transfer of power”. When Jefferson defeated Adams, the torch was passed from one political party to another, a promising sign for the future of the republic. Yet, the threat of disunion loomed over America for the remainder of Webster’s life, and he died in 1843 with much trepidation that the American experiment might not endure.

This program is co-hosted by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, West Hartford 250, and the West Hartford Town Historian.

About The Presenter:

Craig Hotchkiss has joined the Noah Webster house team as an education consultant and developed two high school outreach programs and public lectures on the life & legacy of Noah Webster, to coincide with the national, state & local initiatives surrounding the America250 anniversary on July 4, 2026. 

Mr. Hotchkiss taught United States History at South Windsor High School for 33 years, including Honors & Advanced Placement classes, and served as the History Department Chair for nearly a decade.

Upon retirement, Craig served as the Education Manager at The Mark Twain House & Museum, where he presented scores of public outreach programs at schools, libraries, and other civic organizations throughout Connecticut and the entire Northeast.   Mr. Hotchkiss was also the Site Director for the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Teacher Workshops at the museum for 5 years and taught a graduate level course Museum Education at Trinity College in Hartford.

This America250 presentation is supported by Eversource Energy & The Rotary Club of West Hartford.