Noah Webster may have been the country’s first nationalist. He helped to define American culture with many accomplishments often overshadowed by the creation of his dictionary.

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In 1783, he published the first edition of his legendary spelling primer. Webster was so confident in the strength of a young nation he was present during the Constitutional Convention. He also wrote a highly influential essay in favor of our nation’s defining document while producing his controversial newspaper.

In his new book, The Forgotten Founding Father Joshua Kendall makes a convincing case that Webster, was more than just America’s greatest lexicographer, he spawned American nationalism even before the nation came into existence and was a key, yet forgotten, creator of American culture.