Was Benedict Arnold A Hero Or Traitor?

By definition, Benedict Arnold is a traitor. One of the most dramatic characters in history, The Notorious Benedict Arnold and Arnold’s letter to a British officer, John André, about selling West Point both contribute to the story of Arnold’s cowardly transferring from American to British forces. Clearly, his motivations were his lack of appreciation by other militants and need for a lavish lifestyle. Even though Benedict Arnold won over critical battlegrounds and contributed to the progression of the Patriots in the beginning of the Revolution, there is no excuse for his impulsive actions and attitude. Once a traitor, always a traitor. If you were to convey Arnold as a hero you would only be telling only half of the story. Arnold never felt appreciated by fellow Patriots, at the time, and Congress. Arnold argues that for his work in leading captures of certain locations such as Fort Ticonderoga and coordinating the army should be an automatic promotion. Once Congress promoted five other officers other than Arnold, he, along with his extremely sensitive ego, took …show more content…
Eventually, after being once again enrolled into the army, the indecisive Arnold decided he deserved more than he had. In order to carry out this money-oriented craving, Arnold “settled in the elegant Penn mansion, [...] posted uniformed guards outside the door, bought expensive new furniture, hired cooks, maids, and coachmen, and rode around town in a stylish new carriage” (Sheinkin 206-7). To pay for all of this, he carries out dealings with a local merchants to get a shares of the profits. In order to transport these goods, he abuses his power and permitted use of government wagons. As this event carries out and Arnold is becoming richer, he orders all stores to be closed “to determine which of the goods [...] might be useful to the army” (Sheinkin 207). Unfairly, he was the only one prospering during the town’s