The Colonist: Benedict Arnold And The American Revolution

Samuel Butler, a famed novelist, once said “Self preservation is the first law of nature.” Although Benedict Arnold was born nearly a century before Butler, he must have held similar beliefs, as seen in his actions throughout the course of the American Revolution. The American Revolution began with the egregious debt in Great Britain, effects of their participation in the French and Indian War, which led to their constant creation of newer and more upsetting taxes in the colonies (Moore, Robert J.). Colonists became infuriated at the lack of influence in the government they had to prevent this abuse of power by their mother country. Rebellion and thoughts of independence began to develop in the minds of the angered colonists, and so societies such as the Daughters and Sons of Liberty were created to allow these revolutionary ideas to flourish.
War was formally announced on April 19, 1775, and with the skill of Patriotic leaders, George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere, to name a few, the once simply ambitious colonists became determined soldiers (Moore, Robert J.).
Of the many courageous men-at-arms who imperiled their lives to fight for their independence, Benedict Arnold attracts the most amount of attention, but not necessarily for his brave deeds enacted for the Patriot forces of the war. Arnold acquired notoriety for the treason he committed in his military career, but before this, he was a businessman, and a member of the Sons of Liberty and local militia, it was later in his life that he finally became infamous for his defection to the British cause in the midst of
battle.