History is often presented as taking on a life of its own. The winds of history blow and forces beyond the control of man drive events towards their inevitable conclusion. This view is, of course, complete nonsense. History, at least as far as it concerns mankind, is the study of decisions made by individuals and actions taken by individuals. I say "individuals" because even the most impactful, powerful idea found its genesis in the mind of a single individual. While it is true that groups of individuals often develop, refine, and implement ideas, it is the individuals within the group, and not the collective itself, who do the thinking and acting. Thus, the decision of a single individual can shape history.Conventional history teaches that the United States was destined to be a republic, a nation ruled by law and not the whims of men. A group of wise men driven together by the tyranny of a distant government gathered to form a confederation, throw off the shackles of oppression, and implement a new and revolutionary system of government. All of this was preordained. The truth is that none of this was destined to happen and was the result of a series of decisions and actions taken by a (very large) number of individuals.Let us concentrate on one of those decisions and its enormous implications; consequences that we see to this day. Throughout history, military conquest generally resulted in the victors imposing their will on the population. Even in cases like the American Revolution in which locals revolted against an oppressive central government, the result was usually that the victorious insurgents would form their own government and themselves become the tyrants. So why was America different? After all, despite the sublime rhetoric of the Founders odds were still good that America would become a kingdom once the British were vanquished.The reason that history followed the course that it did, that America became a beacon of freedom and liberty for the rest of the world, is that a great man, though flawed in many ways, made the right decision. Although most history books devote little ink to the Newburgh Crisis , it was George Washington's finest moment.Towards the end of the Revolutionary War, in 1783, many of the officers and men of the Continental Army had not been paid for months. Some were even supplying their own equipment to help fight the war. As a result, many officers talked of staging a military coup d'etat to establish martial law and secure the funds owed them and the pensions promised to them. A delegation of congressmen, among them Alexander Hamilton (ever the opportunist), who wanted a stronger central government supported the plan in hopes that it would push the states into authorizing Congress to tax imports.Although he was sympathetic to the plight of his men, Washington would not condone the army threatening the civil authorities. Things had reached a point at which some of the officers were threatening mutiny and forcibly replacing Washington as commander-in-chief. Washington called a meeting of his officers, and, after a surprise entrance, made an impassioned plea against the conspiracy. Seeing that his officers were unmoved, Washington reached into his pocket to read a letter from a member of Congress. However, Washington fumbled with the letter and did not speak. Instead, he reached into another pocket and pulled out his eyeglasses, which few of his officers were aware that he wore, and murmured, "gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country." With these words, the conspiracy collapsed as his officers realized that Washington himself had made great personal sacrifices for the revolutionary effort.By diffusing the Newburgh Crisis, Washington established the precedent that the military was subordinate to the civilian government, that the army would never be used to threaten Congress. Later, despite his amazing popularity and near universal respect, Washington chose not to be president for life, and stepped down after two terms, setting another important precedent. Because of Washington, America is not a kingdom, but a republic.Throughout human history, freedom has been the exception, tyranny the rule. The notion that individuals could be self-governing and that sovereignty rested in the people were unprecedented in the 18th century. If Washington had not opposed the Newburgh Conspiracy, these ideas would never have come to fruition.Libertarian ideas are often dismissed as "utopian" because they are not currently the state of things. Just because things are not the way we would want them to be or, indeed, not the way that they were meant to be does not mean that they cannot be that way. Washington's decision during the Newburgh Crisis could be considered utopian. Washington could have easily seized power like so many before him had and declared himself "King"; but Washington believed in a different ideal, and with conviction and courage changed the course of history. And we are all better off because he did.None of us will probably have the opportunity to change history as Washington did, but that does not mean that we should sit back and believe ourselves powerless. The course of history is not predetermined; it is set by individuals, and you never know what you as an individual are capable of doing.