Who’s the Biggest Traitor in History?
History has it as Benedict Arnold. I disagree.
On this day, September 21, 1780, American military officer Benedict Arnold's plot to betray West Point to the British was discovered, altering the course of the American Revolution.
Portrait by Thomas Hartford (1776)
Arnold was an American-born military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British in 1780. General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, whereupon he fled to the British lines.
In the later part of the war, Arnold was commissioned as a brigadier general in the British Army and placed in command of the American Legion. He led the British army in battle against the soldiers whom he had once commanded, after which his name became synonymous with treason and betrayal in the United States.
Benedict Arnold became permanently synonymous with "traitor" soon after his betrayal became public.
Biblical themes were often invoked. One 1794 textbook stated that "Satan entered into the heart of Benedict." Benjamin Franklin wrote that " Judas sold only one man, Arnold three millions", and Alexander Scammell described his actions as "black as hell". In Arnold's home town of Norwich, Connecticut, someone scrawled "the traitor" next to his record of birth at city hall, and all of his family's gravestones have been destroyed except his mother's.
Arnold was aware of his reputation in his home country, and French statesman Tallyrand described meeting him in Falmouth, Cornwall in 1794:
The innkeeper at whose place I had my meals informed me that one of his lodgers was an American general. Thereupon I expressed the desire of seeing that gentleman, and, shortly after, I was introduced to him. After the usual exchange of greetings … I ventured to request from him some letters of introduction to his friends in America. "No," he replied, and after a few moments of silence, noticing my surprise, he added, "I am perhaps the only American who cannot give you letters for his own country … all the relations I had there are now broken … I must never return to the States." He dared not tell me his name. It was General Arnold.
Talleyrand continued, "I must confess that I felt much pity for him, for which political puritans will perhaps blame me, but with which I do not reproach myself, for I witnessed his agony".
Now, I’m going to disagree with the historians. Benedict Arnold might have been the most notorious traitor in American history, maybe, up until January 6th, 2021. And January 20, 2021.
January 6, 2021 a date that will live eith this country forever. A date that the President of the United States had plotted a coup. An attempt to stay in power. An attempt to eliminate our Democracy and do away with our Constitution.
This is the date that then President, Donald J. Trump, orchestrated a large group of followers, including several white supremacy groups, in Washington DC. Trump, and several of his cohorts in this coup attempt spoke to the large group, then turned them to go the Capital and “Stop the Vote”. “Take our country back”. This was all in an attempt to keep Trump in power, in the office of President of the United States. He had soundly lost the election the prior November, and to this day, denies he lost.
Trump has been indicted by three separate Grand Juries, is facing 91 Felony counts which total over 500 years in prison if he’s found guilty. Of these 91 counts, 36 of them are for Violation of the Espionage Act.
We all know the charges facing Donald J. Trump, plus 17 others, in all their activities to attempt to overthrow the government, subvert our election process, and keep Trump in power.
In my opinion, Donald J. Trump, will be known in the history books as the biggest traitor of the nation.
Benedict Arnold has the decency to escape the hangman’s noose by going to Britain, which is where he died. Trump should consider strongly replicating to another country. I might suggest he escape to Russia, or China. Both of their leaders will accept him, I’m sure, with open arms, right up to the time he attempts to put himself in power. Then his days will be numbered. Neither Russia nor China will gather Grand Juries to hear testimony and pass down indictments. They will just pick you up, put you in a jail cell until you die, or shoot you. Either way, you die.
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Amen!
Concur with your assessment.