This presentation tells the story of the Newburgh Conspiracy, a mysterious event at the end of the American Revolution in which Continental Army officers, disgruntled by a lack of pay and pensions, may have collaborated with nationalist-minded politicians such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Robert Morris to pressure Congress and the states to approve new taxes and strengthen the central government. Fearing what his men might do with their passions inflamed, Washington averted the crisis with an impassioned speech to a group of angry officers and an unexpected gesture: donning new glasses. Why the army and civilians were so suspicious of each other throughout the American Revolution will be explored, as will whether there was really a coup in motion to supplant Washington’s command. How Washington, a man of action, diffused the crisis with his words and his reputation for virtue and why demobilizing an army is so difficult even when a war ends in victory will also be examined.