IIRC, it was actually Webster, who was writing the dictionary, decided to simplify spelling
A large amount of spelling differences between the US and UK like mould/mold and center/center, are due to him
center/center
I like most of the changes he did but he really should have kept the original with this one.
I think I remember learning that it was to save on printing (newspapers, etc.), but I haven’t fact checked that.
I was under the impression it was partially due to him feeling the ‘U’ made the words feel “too French”, and he supposedly really hated the French (apparently he was a bit of a fan of the ol’ racism), but mainly he wanted something new and uniquely American - and English spelling was even more regional, wild and inconsistent back then, so he hoped to simplify it, bring it some consistency, ideally whilst also telling the French to piss off.
French: single-handedly turn the US into an independent country
Washington and Webster: “fuck you you pricks”
French: :( obliterates half of Europe
This is why Napoleon was so anggey bros. Trust me on this it has to be true. Why else would he have created an Italian national identity than to cast upon us pain and suffering as revenge?
