Benedict Arnold

Sometimes, history is written in a way that there are heroes and villains, and nothing illustrates that more than the way Americans see 'heroes' such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and 'villains' such as Benedict Arnold. But should all Americans share that view? It seems to be me that those who hold certain views on the existence of slavery should take the reverse view, because while Washington and Jefferson fought to uphold the institution of slavery, Arnold was offering slaves their freedom if they fought for Britain:

http://niahd.wm.edu/?browse=entry&id=7791

"The battle between the rebelling colonies and the British over control of the slave population continued into the last days of the war. As portrayed in Colonial Williamsburg's Revolutionary City, even during the British occupation of Williamsburg in 1781 Benedict Arnold was promising freedom to blacks who joined the British side. Promises such as this continued to feed debates among slaves themselves as to wether or not to run away."

It just goes to show what we've always known - history is written by the victors....