Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument30 May 1778

Benedict Arnold's Oath of Allegiance

Continental Congress · 30 May 1778

The sworn oath of loyalty to the United States that Arnold signed at Valley Forge in 1778, two years before his betrayal.

Arnold personally signed this oath of loyalty to the United States two years before he betrayed it to the British.

Ask Benedict Arnold about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Scan of a handwritten oath of allegiance on aged, yellowed paper. Printed text declares allegiance to the United States of America and renounces King George the Third. Handwritten name 'Benedict Arnold, Major General' and office 'Major General' are filled in, with a signature 'B. Arnold' and a jurat reading 'Sworn before me this 30th May 1778 at the Artillery Park Valley Forge' signed by an officer.
Oath of allegiance signed by Benedict Arnold, 30 May 1778, Valley Forge.

About this source

What it is

This is the printed oath of allegiance to the United States, filled in and signed by Major General Benedict Arnold on 30 May 1778 at Valley Forge. In it he renounces loyalty to King George III and swears to defend the United States faithfully in his role as Major General.

Why it matters

The oath was required of Continental Army officers during the Revolutionary War as the new nation tried to secure its leaders' loyalty. Arnold's signature on this document stands in sharp contrast to his later secret dealings with the British, making the oath a powerful piece of evidence for discussing betrayal and broken promises.

Look closer

  • What words in the oath show exactly what Arnold was promising to do?
  • Why might a document like this matter so much later, after Arnold changed sides?
  • What can't this document tell us about Arnold's private thoughts or reasons at the time he signed it?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Benedict Arnold on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Benedict Arnold sources

Meet the AI Benedict Arnold →
Printed reproduction of a handwritten page of cipher text on cream paper, with two columns of coded symbols and numbers, signatures at lower right, and the caption 'One of the Treason Letters in Cypher' beneath. A New York Public Library stamp appears at bottom.Letter

Primary source

Arnold Treason Cipher Letter

Benedict Arnold; Peggy Shippen Arnold · 1780

Colour print of a standing man in a tricorn hat with gold trim, a blue coat with gold epaulette and buttons, a tan waistcoat, a red sash, and a sword hilt. He gestures toward a town with church spires across a river, with palm fronds behind him.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Benedict Arnold

Thomas Hart · 26 March 1776

A weathered wooden gunboat displayed in a museum gallery, with a cannon at its bow, a mast, and a placard reading 'Continental Gondola Philadelphia' in the foreground. Its hull planks are dark and worn.Artifact

Primary source

USS Philadelphia

1776

Black-and-white mezzotint portrait of a man in an 18th-century military uniform with a tricorn hat, standing before a dark wooded background and a town view on the left, gesturing with one hand. Caption text is printed below.Painting

Primary source

Colonel Arnold

Thomas Hart · 1776

Engraved map titled The Attack and Defeat of the American Fleet under Benedict Arnold, by the Kings Fleet commanded by Captn. Thos. Pringle, upon Lake Champlain, 11th October 1776. Shows Lake Champlain with Grand Isle, the lake's islands and shorelines, hachured relief, ship positions, and a compass rose, with a printed account of the expedition in text columns below.Document

Primary source

The Attack and Defeat of the American Fleet under Benedict Arnold upon Lake Champlain

William Faden · 1776

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Benedict Arnold now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions