1. John F. Kennedy’s decision to go to the moon.  In the early 1960′s, it was Russia (then known as the U.S.S.R) that was winning all the prizes in the space race:  first unmanned satellite in space; first man in space; it must’ve seemed like the NASA was being embarrassed on a daily basis.  In the middle of all this, in 1962, JFK had the guts to go on record that the US would be the first to get to the moon.  Seven years later, it happened.
2. Abraham Lincoln’s decision to go to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.  Although his decision to go to war against the Confederacy was also significant, it was the Proclamation that gave everyone on both sides something to fight for.  Not only that, but it instantly boosted the Union’s armies to the tune of 186,000 new troops, a badly needed infusion of fresh blood in a war that seemed to be going against the Union at every turn.
3. Barack Obama’s decision to run for President.  Although this is cheating a little, it’s safe to say that Obama’s decision to run for President in 2008 has already changed history, since he was to become the nation’s first African-American President.
4. Harry Truman’s decision to drop the bomb.  The Japanese had vowed to fight every battle, every island, to the death.  Faced with the possibility of 1 million+ American casualties in the event of a U.S. invasion of Japan, Truman gave the green light to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, effectively ending World War II.
5. Thomas Jefferson’s decision to make the Louisiana Purchase.  We’ll never know what possessed Napoleon to sell nearly a million square miles of land to the U.S., but it doubled the size of the country’s land.  And at bargain basement prices—less than a nickel an acre.
6. Washington’s decision not to run for President again after two terms.  In the late 1790′s, no nation had ever had a peaceful change of power between two opposing parties.  Yet rather than follow the example of monarchs the world over and fight to stay in power, Washington chose to step down, and let his Vice President be elected in his place—and Presidents have done the same ever since.
7. Nixon’s decision to cover up Watergate.  The dubious distinction of being the only U.S. President in history who resigned while in office (and who would most likely have been impeached had he stayed) means that it was Nixon’s decision to cover up the break-in to the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate hotel that started it all.
8. Woodrow Wilson’s decision to enter WWI.  It was Wilson’s decision to enter WWI that ended a century’s worth of isolationism and begin to usher in the 20^th century’s policy of interventionism.
9. FDR’s decision to sign the “New Deal”.   Being elected in the middle of the worst economic Depression before or since, Roosevelt could have sat on his hands and prayed for the best.  Instead, he created all kinds of government work programs, setting a precedent for the First Hundred Days in office that has yet to be equaled by any President.
10. Bush’s decision to go to war in Afghanistan and ultimately Iraq after 9/11.  Love him or hate him, it’s clear that George W. Bush has had a significant effect on U.S. history by leading the U.S. into war first against the Taliban in Afghanistan and then against dictator Saddam Hussein in Iraq after the horrific events of September 11, 2001.

David Turner writes on ways to obtain a Masters in Public Administration.