# Americans Boast of Independence While Their Opinions Remain Dependent by Noah Webster > “However they may boast of Independence, and the freedom of their government, yet their opinions are not sufficiently independent; an astonishing respect for the arts and literature of their parent country, and a blind imitation of its manners, are still prevalent among the Americans.” > **— Noah Webster**, *Dissertations on the English Language, 1789* ## Sources and Context - **Primary source:** Noah Webster, [*Dissertations on the English Language: With Notes, Historical and Critical*](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45738/45738-h/45738-h.htm) (Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Company, 1789), Appendix, “An Essay on the Necessity, Advantages and Practicability of Reforming the Mode of Spelling”; Project Gutenberg transcription of the first edition, checked word for word. - **Exact original:** “However they may boast of Independence, and the freedom of their government, yet their _opinions_ are not sufficiently independent; an astonishing respect for the arts and literature of their parent country, and a blind imitation of its manners, are still prevalent among the Americans.” The source italicizes *opinions*; the Reminder removes the italics and leaves the words unchanged. - **Context:** The sentence follows Webster's claim that “a national language is a band of national union” and continues: “Thus an habitual respect for another country, deserved indeed and once laudable, turns their attention from their own interests, and prevents their respecting themselves.” - **Article use:** [[articles/war with empire/Authorship of the West|Authorship of the West]] reads the sentence as Webster naming the unfinished part of independence: the domain of opinion, which a national reference layer was meant to complete. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/War With Empire|War With Empire]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/war with empire/Authorship of the West|Authorship of the West]] - **Article:** [[articles/war with empire/The Monroe Doctrine, the British Substrate, and the Unfinished Decolonization of the Americas|The Monroe Doctrine, the British Substrate, and the Unfinished Decolonization of the Americas]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Authorship of the West|Authorship of the West]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Noah Webster|Noah Webster]] - [[wiki/An American Dictionary of the English Language|An American Dictionary of the English Language]] - [[wiki/Charter Civilization|Charter Civilization]] - [[wiki/Authorship of the West|Authorship of the West]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “However they may boast of Independence, and the freedom of their government, yet their opinions are not sufficiently independent; an astonishing respect for the arts and literature of their parent country, and a blind imitation of its manners, are still prevalent among the Americans.” — Noah Webster, Dissertations on the English Language, 1789 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-noah-webster-opinions-not-sufficiently-independent ```