Benedict Arnold: A Traitor
No one in their right mind will attempt to convince you that Benedict Arnold is not a traitor to the American cause during the Revolutionary War. As one of the most vilified men in American history, there is plenty of hatred towards Benedict Arnold. Arnold’s conquests with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys and then as a Colonel in the Revolutionary Army pushed him to a position where he could’ve become one of the true war heroes from the time. Instead, he became fed up with a lack of recognition from Congress and perceived slights from others. This led him to his treacherous acts at West Point and defection to the British side. But how Arnold is remembered in history is not entirely correct, there is much more to possibly the greatest
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While away at Cogswell’s school, all three of his sisters and his mother and father became severely ill with Diptheria. His younger sisters Mary, 8, and Elizabeth, 3, died while his sister Hannah, and his mom and dad all eventually made recoveries. These sicknesses and deaths made Benedict feel guilty for not being there and led him to take death as something that could strike at any time. His mother put an even greater burden on him by telling him that he must “make peace with God” and “prepare for death to overcome him”. With all of his siblings dead except for Hannah, he began to feel an even greater burden to become an honorable man. This did not mark the end of his late childhood troubles. With the beginning of the French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War), sailing the ocean became incredibly difficult and that greatly affected his father’s business. With his business failing, like many men in the colonies at this time, he turned to alcohol. His father’s alcoholism and failing finances caused his mother to pull him out of Cogswell’s school and bring him home. The Arnold’s were living in poverty by this point and many in the community began to worry about his father’s increasing alcohol problem. In attempt to remove him from the toxic environment at home, his mother apprenticed him to two of her cousins who ran an extremely successful apothecary business. Their business had been aided
While away at Cogswell’s school, all three of his sisters and his mother and father became severely ill with Diptheria. His younger sisters Mary, 8, and Elizabeth, 3, died while his sister Hannah, and his mom and dad all eventually made recoveries. These sicknesses and deaths made Benedict feel guilty for not being there and led him to take death as something that could strike at any time. His mother put an even greater burden on him by telling him that he must “make peace with God” and “prepare for death to overcome him”. With all of his siblings dead except for Hannah, he began to feel an even greater burden to become an honorable man. This did not mark the end of his late childhood troubles. With the beginning of the French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War), sailing the ocean became incredibly difficult and that greatly affected his father’s business. With his business failing, like many men in the colonies at this time, he turned to alcohol. His father’s alcoholism and failing finances caused his mother to pull him out of Cogswell’s school and bring him home. The Arnold’s were living in poverty by this point and many in the community began to worry about his father’s increasing alcohol problem. In attempt to remove him from the toxic environment at home, his mother apprenticed him to two of her cousins who ran an extremely successful apothecary business. Their business had been aided