Essay On Benedict Arnold Act Of Treason

Acts of treason, actual or supposed, litter American history, but questions of loyalty in American history is determined more often by opinion than facts. The various reactions to treason display a fundamental issue regarding loyalty and disloyalty in American history. Loyalty and disloyalty are driven by a similar, but different, essential driving factor that is mostly determined by public opinion. By using specific examples, it is easily detectable that the fundamental issues with deciding a person’s loyalty, which is intertwined with the roots of loyalty and disloyalty that drive the two principles, are public opinion and cause.

Whether the accused disloyalty is committed by a general or politician, it does not appear that occupation had

General Benedict Arnold was at one time an American military hero, who literally sacrificed his body in defense of the United States but defected to the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. Arnold’s position as a military general plays a major role in the public’s opinion of Arnold’s actions. As a general, Arnold was trusted by the public to protect them from both foreign and domestic threats, therefore Arnold’s treason is especially heinous because he turned his back to the people he was swore to protect. Though Arnold’s plan was ultimately unsuccessful, his betrayal to the public was his real root of his treason. Former vice president Aaron Burr’s act of treason was his attempt to start a new nation by using land leased from the Spanish in the Louisiana and Mexico Territories. Contrary to the original public opinion of

Reverend William Harrison was highly respected in his community for his charitable acts and leadership, yet when the situation looked bleak for the United States during the Revolution he fled to the enemy. Harrison continued to do work as a chaplain for the British, and when captured Harrison was sent back to the community he left behind. Reverend Harrison, unlike Arnold and Burr, was able to readjust to his new predicament by regaining a level of high respect. Harrison was not treated as a traitor when we returned, which could be a display as to how much his hometown could gain if the revolution failed. If British were successful at extinguishing the Revolution, Harrison would have been in a perfect position to drastically improve the well being of his community, so it is extremely possible that the preexisting opinion of Reverend Harrison, along with the possibilities for his town, overshadowed his betrayal to his country with his cause. The case of Reverend Harrison’s treason is a prime portrayal of the effect of cause when deciding if a person is loyal or disloyal, moreover, though Harrison betrayed his country, it is very possible that he stayed loyal to his home community making him both loyal and