21 May 2007

Professor's Classroom

Morning students. Todays lesson is a short and should produce many good grades.

Name another Revolutionary war hero that was a traitor to his country.

Was he executed? What was he really accused of doing that prompted the treason charge?


Your answer must be precise.

You may begin,

12 comments:

MemeMarie said...

Well, there was Benedict Arnold...
accused of corruption at one point, then turned treason, although the plan was thwarted. He wasn't executed to my knowledge, but I'm no history buff, either. I do know that Arnold, at one point, went to my dad's hometown of Gardiner, ME (small town now, can't imagine it then) Since I am not sure this is THE traitor you're looking for, I'll leave this comment for now and wait for a response.

CHUQ said...

Nope, not the one. The one I am looking forward to was a loyal American soldier, his treason came after thew end of the Rev. War.

MemeMarie said...

Ok, I will work on this and get back to you. :-)

MemeMarie said...

Name another Revolutionary war hero that was a traitor to his country:

A. John Brown (1800-1859)was tried for treason against the state of Virginia for attempting to start a liberation movement among slaves near Harper's Ferry, Virginia.

Was he executed?

Yes, he was hung on December 2, 1859, in Charleston.

What was he really accused of doing that prompted the treason charge?

Brown was accused of murdering five pro-slavery settlers in Kansas. Later, he lead a force in attack on Harpers Ferry in West Virginia, but was later defeated by Federal troops under Robert E. Lee.
The jury indicted him on three counts - treason against Virginia, conspiracy with African Americans, and first-degree murder.

He has been revered for generations as a martyr to the American anti-slavery cause.

CHUQ said...

Marie, you are getting warmer. Brown was tried for treason against a state. The one I am looking for was charged with treason against the country.

I gave as little info as possible, because anything else would have made it too darn easy. lol

I await the next session.

CHUQ said...

OK I will help a bit--He was an officer in the Continental Army.

MemeMarie said...

Name another Revolutionary war hero that was a traitor to his country.

John Fries (1764-1825) - He served as a captain in the Continental Army during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794.


Was he executed?

No, he was eventually pardoned by President Adams, after the pardon, he was promoted from captain to lieutenant colonel in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, militia.



What was he really accused of doing that prompted the treason charge?

No, it was more of a simple protest that could have better been said to be sedition, and did not rise to the level of treason

CHUQ said...

Darn Marie--you just keep plugging--I like that. But he is not the one I am referring to. Another clue: empire building.

Good luck!

MemeMarie said...

Ok, Professor, since I have learned so much in this quest, I am going to give you quite a long answer, hope that's ok, but I did learn a lot, and even though I am sure you are already aware of this, I still wanted to post it, especially after I had written almost two notebook pages of notes, ha ha. Let's see if I got it this right this time....

Name another Revolutionary war hero that was a traitor to his country:
Aaron Burr, Jr. (1756-1836) He was a lawyer, politician, Revolutionary War hero and adventurer, accused of treason against his country.

Was he executed?
No. He was arrested in 1807 and brought to trial on charges of treason, for which he was eventually acquitted.

What was he really accused of doing that prompted the treason charge?
Burr's impeccable credentials as an American patriot made him an unlikely candidate for the treason with which he was to be charged. He was accused of attempting to form a republic, in a "conspiracy" to steal Louisiana Purchase lands away from the U.S. and crown himself a king or emperor. You see, at the end of President Jefferson's first term, Aaron Burr stepped down from the Vice-Presidency and began preparations for a military expedition, which was, depending on who's view was looked at, either treasonous or patriotism. At the core, however, it was clearly about conquest and adventure. It was ruled that Burr could not be found to have committed treason based on the events of Blennerhassetts Island.

**Interesting facts I also learned:
Never has an American trial produced such an impressive set of key players:

The defendant-- Aaron Burr, founding father, Vice President, and slayer of Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel three years earlier;

The trial judge--John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (and the most important justice in history);

The force behind the prosecution--Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and president of the United States;

Defense attorneys--Edmund Randolph and Luther Martin, both delegates to the Constitutional Convention and among the most prominent men of the day;
Prosecutors-- Charles Lee, former Attorney General, and William Wirt, future presidential candidate.

**Years later, when Burr heard news of the Texas Revolution, he ws said to have told a friend (with satisfaction) "There! You see? I was right! I was only thirty years too soon. What was treason in me thirty years ago, is patriotism now."

CHUQ said...

Marie--Congrads! You have done it. Well done! If I has said anything other than my original clues, it wouls have made it too easy. You did a fine job on research.

CHUQ said...

My next due out Monday, will be a biatch. Even Coyote would probably like this one. Stay tuned. More history trivia to come.

MemeMarie said...

Thanks, Chuq...

I will be looking forward to the next one.

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