Greetings, Father Steve and welcome.

When Webster (with Benjamin Franklin's help) was busily compiling the first dictionary of American English, he had no model to go on but Dr. Johnson's. Interesting aside (and this is probably more appropriately posted in the "British vs American" thread): Many of the cross-Pond spelling differences were actually introduced by Webster & Franklin as a means of emphasizing the U.S. was by the late 18th century an independent (one hesitates to use the term "sovereign") nation.