A brief history of the spelling bee in America
The skill of spelling correctly has long been held in high
regard by Americans, with spelling contests dating back to the
early 1800s. As families began to move west during the era of
Manifest Destiny, literacy denoted a high social position.
Unless you had means, it was unlikely that you had time to
learn how to read; most frontiersmen and women were too
busy surviving the rough outdoors. As spelling matches moved
to the West, participants became increasingly rough-andtumble, with quite a few instances of physical fights breaking
out amongst the finalists!
“Colored Girl Wins Big Spelling Bee,”
1908. Courtesy, The New York Times.
“A word doesn’t care if you arrived on the Mayflower or in steerage. And therein is one of the traits that
maintains the Bee’s status as a folk tradition. Like America itself, perhaps even more purely, the Bee is a
true meritocracy. It is the levelest of level playing fields.”
- James Maguire, American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds ()Q??????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????Q???!?????M??????????????????%?????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????Q???????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????q?????????????t???????)?????????????????????%???????????????????????????q????t???????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????Q???????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????+?qM???M???????? ????t??????)
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