Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London

摘要

Benedict Arnold was a man who could have been a “founding father” of America, but instead became a national villain. His brutal attack on Connecticut epitomizes this transformation: the moment where an abstract idea of betrayal completes its evolution to the slaughter and destruction of his neighbors and their homes. Focusing on this significant but unfortunately forgotten incident addresses some of the major challenges of any discussion about this complex and confusing American figure. It also directly links Arnold’s story with the stories of his friends and colleagues, something that has never been done before. The combination of these two approaches puts the focus on Arnold’s effects rather than his motives, and on the victims rather than the attacker. Moreover, it reframes his “treason” as “homegrown terror,” a term that resonates with modern readers and whose definition echoes the 18th century word “parricide,” used by many contemporaries to describe Arnold’s actions.