Is Benedict Arnold A Hero Or Traitor

828 Words2 Pages

“Let me die in this old uniform in which I fought my battles. May god forgive me for ever having put on another's.” Benedict Arnold, one of America's greatest heroes is thought to be a traitor for one mistake that he made. Benedict Arnold shouldn't be thought as a traitor for one bad thing he did versus many of the good things he has done. Arnold gave up West Point for 20,000 pounds in 1780. Most people don't know the good things he did for America. He fought many battles for the freedom of America. He fought in the battles on lake Champlain, The capture of Fort Ticonderoga, and The Quebec battle. He shouldn't be known for the bad things he has done, but for the good that he did for America's freedom. Although Benedict Arnold is known …show more content…

He fought for America for about 60 years in the American army until he was injured in battle which made him not be able to fight for a while. Within that time other generals started taking credit for his work. This made him angry, which led to the him making secret negotiations with the British army. The year after, he gave up West Point for 20,000 pounds. Although he Arnold made a really bad decision, he did quite a lot for the Patriots. History books and legends have cast Benedict Arnold as a traitor during the American Revolution. Arnold's wife being a loyalist also had a huge effect on his actions. Since Arnold's wife was a loyalist he probably was getting a strong influence from her to switch to the British side. In 1779 Benedict Arnold started making secret negotiations with the British. When Arnold was injured due to war he was forced to lay low for a while. While he was not in the war other Generals started taking Arnold's work for there own. This made Arnold feel like America didn't really want him. In 1780 Benedict Arnold gave up West Point. In 1780 Benedict Arnold sold West Point for 20,000 pounds. He was secretly making negotiations with the British and they later asked for west point and in return Arnold would get 20,000 pounds and control of the British

Open Document