Noah Webster
Noah Webster felt that American English should be distinct from British English. He reasoned that if American English was distinct it would help to unify the nation. There were also experiences that only Americans have and can describe. Americans also use different definitions and words to describe things. He wrote the first American dictionary in 1828. An American Dictionary of the English Language was written to show that American English was developing along its own lines, and not conforming to British English. American English owes a lot of its pronunciation development to Noah Webster. He stressed fuller values on the unaccented syllables and uniformity of the language.
Here are some helpful sites
Noah Webster
Webster's Writings
American Dictionary
