"Arnold the Traitor": George Lippard, the Mexican-American War, and the Search for an Antebellum George Washington, 1846–1852

Abstract

Abstract: During the Mexican-American War (1848–1846), Pennsylvania native and literary giant George Lippard promoted the nation-changing conflict by invoking the heroes and villains of the revolutionary era—most notably Benedict Arnold. An active member of the urban Democratic movement Locofocoism, Lippard used Arnold's infamy to paint political opponents and Mexican War skeptics as traitors while actively seeking to recruit the conflict's hero, General Zachary Taylor, for the presidential election of 1848 as a non-party candidate and antebellum era George Washington. Disillusioned by Taylor's affiliation with the Whig Party, Lippard went on before his death to form a secret society to further his expansionist goals. Although previous historians have examined Lippard's political activities, scholars have overlooked his role in propagating Arnold's traitorous legacy during a contentious period in American history.