Premium Essay

The American Revolution: Benedict Arnold As A Traitor

Submitted By
Words 397
Pages 2
Being a traitor is one of the biggest crimes one can commit against their country, especially during a time of war. A prime example of someone who betrayed their country to help the other side is Benedict Arnold, who secretly helped the British during the American Revolution even though he was technically an American. Born in Connecticut in January of 1741, Benedict was destined to have some part in the American Revolution. He had a rough childhood as his father was an alcoholic and he eventually signed up for the militia when he was 16. He became a member of the Sons of Liberty, a secret group formed during the American Revolution for revolutionaries, as he was angry at the British for taxing his goods so heavily. Arnold by this time

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Struggle Between Benedict Arnold And The American Revolution

...On September 1780 British Major John Andre was arrested crossing between British and America, he was disguised with civilian clothes so he wouldn’t get caught but he did(American revolution). He was arrested with Benedict Arnold’s papers found on Andre incriminated Arnold in treason(American revolution). Benedict Arnold was scared so he ran to British lines before the Patriot’s could arrest him(American Revolution). Benedict Arnold was arrested and hung at Tappan, New York City, on October second. Before that Washington sent men into New York City to apprehend Arnold, but it failed(biography.com). Benedict Arnold became a spy because he believed that his arrears would be better served assisting the British than continuing to suffer for...

Words: 338 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Benedict Arnold Research Paper

...Events Benedict Arnold Affected Ever since the turnover of the West Point American fort, Benedict Arnold’s name has become synopsis with the word ‘traitor’. However, before this was the case, Benedict Arnold was actually an American war hero, assisting the Patriots and their ‘call’ for freedom (Benedict, 2009). There are five major events where Arnold helped shape the outcome of the Revolutionary War; The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, the Battle of Quebec, the Battles of Lake Champlain, and the Negotiations of West Point. The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga When the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence learned of Arnold’s knowledge of Ticonderoga being poorly guarded and full of ammunition, they commissioned him as a coronel. “Ticonderoga was also vitally important due to its locations as it was situated on Lake Champlain and provided nice staging grounds for an assault on Quebec” (Yost, 2011). The Fort...

Words: 1278 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Who Is Benedict Arnold A Hero

...Benedict Arnold was an American patriot and general during the American Revolution. Many questions and controversies have came up regarding his loyalty to the colonies. There seems to be two sides to the story: some people say that Arnold was a hero, some say he was a traitor. Despite this controversy, Arnold showed heroic characteristics and qualities throughout his life and career as a general. Benedict Arnold was a hero because he led the American soldiers in the Revolution confidently, diligently, and hopefully. A good deed in which Arnold did during the time of the Revolution was supply his officers with adequate necessities during battles. An example of this is when the men camped outside of Quebec, waiting for the perfect time to attack. The soldiers were cold, wet, and hungry. They hadn’t eaten a proper meal for days or even weeks. However, Arnold came to the rescue. His heroic self had “reached the nearest town and had sent back these animals for food. There were sheep, too, and sacks of flour” (Sheinkin 77). This considerate act nourished the army and helped them successfully attack and claim Quebec....

Words: 572 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Peggy Shippen Arnold Research Paper

...American Revolution Leader: Peggy Shippen Arnold She was married to the most well known traitor in the thirteen colonies. Peggy Shippen Arnold was the wife of Benedict Arnold. She was born into a wealthy family. She was the daughter of Margret and Edward Shippen. She was the youngest surviving child in her family of six siblings. (She had two younger siblings that didn’t live past toddler-hood.) They were upper middle class citizens. Her ancestors were previous Philadelphia mayors. Her dad was a judge and her mom was the daughter of a prominent lawyer. Her father believed “that ordinary citizens could not govern without the upper classes telling them what to do”. She married Benedict Arnold when she was 18 and he was 38. Together they had five children, Edward Shippen Arnold, William Fitch Arnold, James Robertson Arnold, Sophia Matilda Arnold, and George Arnold. Peggy Shippen and her husband, Benedict, were traitors to the United States because they gave secret information to the British side during the Revolutionary war....

Words: 499 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Benedict Arnold's Role In The American Revolution

...Arnold played an important role in the American revolution, as Paul A. Hutton Prof. of history in University of New Mexico says, “to the average American, Arnold and traitor mean the same thing” . Arnold was the man who led the New Haven minute men in 1775, later on Arnold was given an army and along with the Green Mountain boys and Ethan Allen he successfully took Fort Ticonderoga. Arnold was also the man who sold his allegiance to the enemy ( the British) for 20,000 pounds! Benedict Arnold was notoriously known for being a traitor during the American Revolution was born Norwich, Connecticut to a wealthy family, but was later left bankrupt due to his fathers carless drinking habit, making Benedict Arnold more or less a self-made man. His...

Words: 899 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Philosopher: Benedict Arnold As A Traitor

...Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold is mostly known for being a traitor. He was born January 14, 1741. how he became involved in the American Revolution, and how he fought for America, and why he betrayed America for Britain are some of his accomplishments. He started his life as a loyal American. Later he became one of the most well known traitors in history. Benedict Arnold was a merchant who was greatly affected by The Stamp Act. The Stamp Act took away part of the money he earned on his three merchant ships. He needed that money to back pay the loan from the ships. Benedict wanted to protest against the act so he would receive his full profit. He joined a group called The Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty was a group of colonists...

Words: 377 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Benedict Arnold: A War Hero

...Today, Benedict Arnold is considered a traitor to the U.S, but he could have been a war hero like George Washington during the American Revolution. Benedict Arnold was first seen as an hero but soon changed after he decided to become a Red Coat. Benedict Arnold won many battles for the Americans which brought them to defeat the British. Benedict Arnold was elected to the position of captain in the Connecticut militia in 1775. At the outbreak of the war, Arnold participated in the capture of the British garrison of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. The capture of Fort Ticonderoga was the first big battle the US had won. As the first rebel victory of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga served as a morale booster and provided key artillery for the Continental Army in the first year of war. Cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga...

Words: 646 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Benedict Arnold: The French And Indian War

...Whenever the name Benedict Arnold is mentioned, not very many know just who he is or what he’s done over the course of his life. He has accomplished many things as well as overcome many obstacles. Arnold’s early life was not a walk in the park. He experienced many tragedies in his childhood. Things didn’t start looking up for him until the French and Indian War. Benedict Arnold spent much of his life participating in wars. He assumed various parts in many fights including: The French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the Battle of Lake Champlain, and the Surrender at West Point. Benedict Arnold also earned a disreputable name during the American Revolution. Benedict Arnold was born on the 14th day of January in 1741 to his father,...

Words: 1487 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Why Is Arnold Justified In The Revolutionary War

...Arnold was a general of the American Revolution. He had fought for the Continental Army for most of his career for around 5 years. He had many battles, participated in the capture of the British garrison of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775, Battle of Lake Champlain in 1776, and a major part in the surrender of General John Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga in 1777. Through Arnold’s battles, he never got the credit he deserved. When he helped defeat Burgoyne, He was given hardly any credit for the work he had done compared to his higher up, General Gates. In many other battles it was similar with the issue of credit. Arnold no longer wanted to not get the credit he deserved. He later on in the war switched sides and when to help the british. The question is, was Arnold justified by his actions?Arnold is justified by his actions for wanting to leave the Continental Army, but not for joining the British. He had no right to fight against the thing he wanted, what others before him wanted and the people he fought with wanted. Leaving...

Words: 383 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Nathan Hale's Role In The Revolutionary War

...Espionage has been used in many wars throughout history. One of the most essential wars in America’s history was the American revolution. There were spies on both sides of the revolution and some that died for the cause. Nathan Hale, Benedict Arnold, and Patience Wright were important to the American Revolution because they fought as captains and generals, went undercover in enemy territory, and were willing to put their lives at risk for important information. Nathan Hale is one of the most famous spies, and is known for his bravery and sacrifice. Born on June 6, 1755 and the sixth of twelve children, he grew up a “normal boy”. Hale went to Yale University at the age of fourteen and received a job as a school teacher about two years later. He taught at Union Grammar School in New London, Connecticut. He loved his job but also loved his country. He joined the Connecticut Militia and then the Connecticut Army in the early 1770s. After leading a successful attack on a British ship he became a captain under George Washington. Hale also became a member of the Knowlton Rangers, a group known for leadership and fighting qualities on dangerous missions....

Words: 1249 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

How Did Benedict Arnold Get Brave

...enedict Arnold V was born in 1741. He was the son of Benedict Arnold IV, a business man and landowner, and Hannah Waterman King, a very tough and commanding woman. When he was eleven years old, Benedict's parents sent him away to the school of Connecticut. There he studied Latin and Mathematics. His education was cut short when his family lost their family fortune. Benedict became the subject of jokes after many incidents where he was forced to get his drunken father home from the tavern. He started picking fights with bigger boys to appear brave. He also began to preform daring feats, like leaping over wagons in the roadway. When he was fourteen, he left home and went to work for a relative to learn the druggist trade. When he was in his mid-teens, he volunteered for the army and fought in three battles of the French and Indian War. He then deserted the army to be with his dying mother. Arnold's father died still in debt in 1761. In Connecticut, Arnold gained success as a sea captain...

Words: 997 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Two Party Politics

... |reclaim the Americas after severeal defeats. The French returned to join the American | | | |Colonists to defeat the Brtitish which led to American independence. | |Sugar Act |On April 5, 1764, the parliament passed a modified version of the Sugar and |The Sugar Act had disrupted the colonial economy by reducing the markets to which the | | |Molasses Act of 1733, and this act was about to expire. Under the Molasses or |colonies could sell, and the amount of currency available to them for the purchase of | | |Sugar Act colonial merchants were required to pay a tax of six pence per gallon |British manufactured goods. This act, in addition to the Currency Act, set the stage for | | |on the importation of foreign molasses. |the revolt at the imposition of the Stamp Act. | |Stamp Act |This act is very similar to that of the Sugar Act was passed on March 22, 1765 |Contribution to the revolutionary act was one of the first internal imposed tax act upon | | |by the British Parliament. This new tax was imposed on all American colonists |the American colonists which...

Words: 1561 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Why Did The British Victory In The American Revolution

...The United States victory over the British in the American Revolution stated with the idea to stand up for the rights of man, and to voice their opinions to the monarchy that ruled the colonist from across the sea. Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine wrote about independence from British, and diplomats such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson helped the Continental Congress start to challenge the oppressive British rule. The great leader of the Continental Army George Washington was the man who was responsible for leading the army to victory. The political challenges in the revolutionary war political, British government raised revenue to help cover the cost of the French and Indian war by taxing the colonies with the Stamp Act of 1765. The British thought it was fair to issue the tax on the people it spent all the money to protect. However, the speech in March of 1775 by Patrick Henry who said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" encouraged the colonist to stand up for their rights. The British later repealed the acts, to try and appease the unrest in the colony. However, the British still needed money to pay their war debt, so the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 placed a tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Again, the colonist were unhappy, so in...

Words: 1176 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Juan Nepomceno Seguín: A Political Hero

...Over the course of a long lived life, Juan Nepomuceno Seguín served as a political leader and as a soldier for both Texas and Mexico. And over the course of that lifetime, Texas would know him as a brave man and war hero while Mexico would consider him a traitor.. Of all of the patriots of the Texas Revolution, it was Seguín who had the most troubled relationship with the land he helped to found. Born in Bexar, San Antonio on October 27, 1806, Seguín was the son of a prominent Tejano family. As Seguín was growing up, Bexar was a desperately poor place, shattered by decades of Indian raids and violent feuding. Seguín's father, Erasmo, became a key ally of Stephen F. Austin and his colonists in the area. Father and son had witnessed the inability of Spain and Mexico to bring stability and prosperity to the area, and believed that the best hope for the future of Bexar lay with the establishment of a strong Anglo-American...

Words: 1163 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Contributions to Black Nationalism in the United States

...black Nationalist ideology? Booker T. Washington “was an American political leader, educator and author” who proved to be one of the most dominate figures in African American history in the United States (Booker, par. 1). William Edward Burghardt Du Bois “was a noted scholar, editor, and African American activist…[who] sought to eliminate discrimination and racism” (.. During the late 19th and early 20th century Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were two great men who significantly influenced the idea of Black Nationalism in the United States. Though they both wanted to see an America where the Negro was treated with proper respect and equality, their views on how to obtain these noble goals contrasted one another. The ideology of DuBois and Washington were so completely different that people became subjected to following the doctrine of one or the other. With the knowledge that only one could be the “spokesman” for the race the two began a bitter battle to control the Black Nationalism ideology. Amid the competition against one another, both men still had to face other obstacles such as racism in order to further the goals of blacks of the period. Even though the two men had differing opinions on the ideology of Black Nationalism, both would greatly contribute to the idea of Black Nationalism. However, their differing positions on Black Nationalism portrayed a divide amongst African Americans of the time. To understand why Washington and DuBois had such differing...

Words: 4768 - Pages: 20