Do Americans still hate Benedict Arnold ? - Historum

**Mohammed the Persian** · March 2nd, 2012, 04:08 AM

Inspired by a few threads here and there

Do Americans, more than 200 years later, still hate Benedict Arnold ?

**Rongo** · March 2nd, 2012, 04:15 AM

YES, although most Americans don't even know who he was. In America, if someone betrays someone, they are called a "Benedict Arnold" (whether the person saying it knows who Benedict Arnold was or not).

**Wenge** · March 2nd, 2012, 04:15 AM

What's to hate? We've had worse traitors than him in the last 236 years.

Baltis · March 2nd, 2012, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mohammed the Persian

Inspired by a few threads here and there

Do Americans, more than 200 years later, still hate Benedict Arnold ?

yes

We got Georges running around all over the place but no American mother would name her child Benedict.

History Chick · March 2nd, 2012, 04:37 AM

I would not say "hate". That's a pretty strong emotion and I generally only reserve it for things or people which influence me personally. But Rongo is right that in America, "Benedict Arnold" is a pseudonym for traitor.

CloakedMistborn · March 2nd, 2012, 04:45 AM

I hate Aaron Burr much more than Arnold.

**tjadams** · March 2nd, 2012, 05:06 AM

After reading about the man, his times and events, I'm going to write: no.
If you analyse his 'crime', how is it different than a person from the US Civil War,
switching sides back to the Union? If a person is fighting for 'the bad guys', and
goes back to the 'good guys', then isn't he doing the correct thing? But we all
know already that one's rebel is another's hero and you have to win your rebellion.

Quote:

What's to hate? We've had worse traitors than him in the last 236 years.

That is VERY true, but, only time, lots of it, will fade his name being associated with
the traitors.

d'artanian · March 2nd, 2012, 05:08 AM

Hate? The story of Benedict was barely touched on when I was in school so I couldn't even tell you what he did to earn the label of traitor.

bluesman · March 2nd, 2012, 05:09 AM

Last year I read quite a few articles that painted him in a sympathetic light. Most people can give you a rundown of his crime- attempting to sell West Point to the British- but far less can give the background, i.e. he was a phenomenal soldier who got the shaft one time too many. Hate's a little strong, but he's looked down upon. If he caught a musket ball the day before trying to sell the fort, there would be statues of him all over the place.

Baltis · March 2nd, 2012, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluesman

If he caught a musket ball the day before trying to sell the fort, there would be statues of him all over the place.

Seriously overstated. As with almost all of Arnold's exploits. Overstated for the sake of making a good story. Arnold was a personally courageous man but, in my opinion, as a military leader, he falls way down the list.

Arnold was always unhappy at not getting more recognition for his contributions to the revolution. Perhaps the people at the time understood things a little bit better than the modern Arnold apologist. His exploits display great personal courage but, fall far short of the claims made by his modern biographers. The lack of respect given him at the time feels (to me) like a better understanding of the man's actions than what is often attributed to him today.