The Notorious Benedict Arnold

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

The Trial of Benedict Arnold

Imagine that instead of fleeing to Britain, Benedict Arnold has been caught while hiding out in New York. The class will stage a trial, set in 1782, to decide Arnold’s fate. Your group will be assigned to one of the following roles in this trial:

• Public officials (judge, jury, and prosecutors): This group will be responsible for using online research and details from The Notorious Benedict Arnold to create a courtroom setting and procedure appropriate to the year 1782. The judge will preside over the trial, the prosecutors will present a case against Arnold, and the jury will reach a verdict.
• Benedict Arnold and his defense team: This group will be responsible for using online research and details from The Notorious Benedict Arnold to create Arnold’s defense, and they will present this defense during the trial, according to the rules established by the court.
• Witnesses Peggy Shippen, John André, George Washington, Joshua Hett Smith, Daniel Morgan, James Reed, Joseph Stansbury, David Williams (the militiaman who caught André), and John Champe (the officer tasked with abducting Arnold from New York): Members of this group will be responsible for using online research and details from The Notorious Benedict Arnold to thoroughly understand the characters they are portraying and to prepare their testimony about Arnold’s actions and character.