Benedict Arnold: Triumph and Treason

Benedict Arnold — his name is synonymous with treason, betrayal, and defection. Why did he turn on a young nation in its defining moment? BIOGRAPHY journeys back to the days of the colonies to solve the mystery.

Growing up in Connecticut, Arnold was a successful businessman until the British imposed heavy taxes. As his debt grew, Arnold joined the cause for liberty and served as America’s first Admiral. But despite battlefield successes, other officers were promoted over him, and the young revolutionary grew bitter.

Benedict Arnold: Triumph and Treason would be useful for classes on American History, Military History, American Culture, Civics and Ethics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• affable
• catapult
• chaos
• commodities
• coveted
• enigma
• espionage
• explicit
• impeached
• intriguing
• militia
• navigation
• objectives
• obliging
• piety
• prestige
• rambunctious
• strategic
• synonymous
• unsolicited

1. Although Benedict Arnold is remembered as a traitor, he did serve his country well before his act of treason. What did Arnold contribute to the Revolution and the formation of the United States of America?

2. As a young man, Arnold was apprenticed to a local druggist. The druggist’s wife taught Arnold the “social graces’ of genteel living. What are social graces? How did these lessons serve Arnold as an officer?

3. Arnold’s father was an alcoholic and spent his later years in an alcoholic stupor. How did Arnold’s father’s alcoholism affect Arnold?

4. Arnold like many of his generation, resented the taxes and restrictions imposed upon the colonies by Great Britain. How did these taxes and restrictions personally affect Arnold? What did he do about it?

5. Before he became a traitor, Benedict Arnold was a hero. How did he become a hero?

6. What is the legacy of the name Benedict Arnold?

7. If Arnold hadn’t turned traitor, how would he be remembered today?

8. Arnold was an American hero, somewhat of a legend, and a respected high-ranking officer. Why did he become a traitor?

9. How did Arnold betray the United States?

10. How was Arnold’s treasonous plot exposed?

11. How did Arnold represent the best and the worst of the American psyche?

1. Divide the class into two sections representing loyalists and patriots. Moderate a debate on whether colonial America should become an independent nation.

2. Create a timeline of the events of the Revolutionary War and America’s road to independence.

3. Conduct a mock trial in which Benedict Arnold is tried for treason.

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