Steve Jobs Wins Title Of Most Influential American

Congratulations to Zach Brockmeyer who led Steve Jobs to the title of Most Influential American.  In a tightly contested final four, Jobs and innovator Thomas Edison advanced passed President Ronald Reagan and Social Activist Martin Luther King to move into the championship round.

The final round was voted on by an esteemed panel of professional educators at St. John Vianney High School and the panel determined that Jobs was the more influential of the two finalists on the strength of his Touchcast Video presentation and his creative use of a the new "ileader" app that identified all the contributions that Jobs has made to the United States.

Watch Zach's Touchcast video:



All semester long, students have been competing to take home mini-Pink Flamingos for winning various competition and project based challenges.  This morning, Zach was awarded the mother of all Pink Flamingos for his victory in the Most Influential American Tournament.  Congratulations Zach and thanks to all who faithfully followed the competition this semester.

Final Four Touchcast Videos

Here we go....the Most Influential American Final Four!  After a creative and competitive Elite 8 Round, let's see what the four surviving competitors have in store for us!

Ronald Reagan

VS.

Steve Jobs


Thomas Edison


VS.

Martin Luther King

Final Four Is Set--Reagan, Jobs, Edison, and MLK Advance

The final four in the Most Influential American Tournament is set.  The Elite 8 created some outstanding common craft videos that were really outstanding.  As such, the competition was fierce.

In the presidential bracket, Ronald Reagan routed George Washington  to advance to his first final four.  Reagan's common craft video was anything but common as the creativity and message resonated with voters and turned ol' George Washington into the 2014 version of Walter Mondale.  Click HERE for the outstanding video of Ronald Reagan.

In the Wildcard division, Steve Jobs advances to his second straight final four in a closely connected contest with Alexander Hamilton.  The strength of the iphone and itunes was strong as Jobs advances with a 2 vote victory.  Click HERE for the video of Steve Jobs.

Defending champion Thomas Edison advances to the final four and a chance to defend his title with a 6 vote victory over Alexander Graham Bell.  Edison used a strong offense identifying reasons how Edison perfected the telephone so that everyday people could use it.  The Wizard of Menlo Park will be a tough out in the final four.  Click HERE for the video of Thomas Edison.

In the tightest vote of the day, Martin Luther King squeaked out a 1 vote victory over Jackie Robinson.  The tight contest was a result of the strong respect the voters had for both social activists as well as the quality of the work of the videos.  Martin Luther King takes his nonviolent protests and his movement to improve the quality of life for African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s and looks to win his first title in the Most Influential American tournament.  Click HERE for the video of Martin Luther King.

Final four voting will be decided on Tuesday!

Elite 8 Common Craft Videos and Voting

Here are your elite 8 matchups!!   Enjoy the effort and creativity of these guys!!
Great stuff here!!

Presidential Bracket
Ronald Reagan vs. George Washington

Wild Card Bracket
Steve Jobs vs. Alexander Hamilton

Innovators Bracket
Thomas Edison vs. Alexander Graham Bell

Social Activist Bracket
Martin Luther King  vs. Jackie Robinson

Reagan, Washington, Jobs, Edison, and King Coast To Elite 8

Some great match-ups with some quality work appeared the Sweet 16 round of the Most Influential American tournament.  With significant rewards on the line, the students held nothing back in hopes of advancing to the Elite 8.

In the Presidential Bracket, Ronald Reagan scored his second upset victory as he knocked off Teddy Roosevelt with a thorough demolishing.  Keep Reagan away from Mount Rushmore because he has knocked off Lincoln and TR in the last two rounds.  The compassionate conservative who once invoked Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" is trying to take down Mt. Rushmore completely.  Reagan will have one more chance at a face on Mt. Rushmore as he squares off with George Washington in the Elite 8 round.  Washington wiped out his former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson in a thumping not seen by Jefferson and his supporters since those pesky Barbary Pirates.

Click HERE for Reagan's  WE VIDEO presentation and click HERE for Washington's WE VIDEO presentation.

In the Wildcard Bracket, Steve Jobs went to work on Walt Disney pointing out how the company that Disney founded ended up buying Steven Jobs' Pixar Corporation because Pixar was dominating the animation market.  With the strength of that argument, Jobs was the "apple" of the voters eyes and won the vote going away.  A gripping video on the tragic death of Alexander Hamilton at the hands of his arch enemy Aaron Burr was enough to advance the father of modern banking to the elite 8.  Hamilton was able to trip up Lewis and Clark who finally have to end their journey at the Sweet 16.

Click HERE for Jobs' WE VIDEO presentation and click HERE for Hamilton's WE VIDEO presentation.

In the Innovators Bracket, Thomas Edison was the shining light in his thorough defeat of Henry Ford.  Edison used the argument that Ford had worked for him and Ford idolized Edison to differentiate between the two great innovators.  In the final tally, it was like a ferrari racing against a Model T.  Edison just had too much for Ford.  In our most tightly contested vote of the sweet 16, Alexander Graham Bell dialed up a victory over Microsoft mogul Bill Gates.  While Gates philanthropic endeavors earned him favor with some of the voters, the majority supported Bell and his creation of the telephone.

Click HERE for Edison's WE VIDEO presentation and click HERE for Alexander Graham Bell's WE VIDEO presentation.

In the Social Activists Bracket, using a unique presentation style that used no voice over just strong music, a simple approach drove Martin Luther King to the Elite 8 over abolitionist John Brown.  The non-violent protester King destroyed the violent upriser Brown in a match that saw King race out to an insurmountable early lead.  Noted speedster Jackie Robinson ran away from Susan B. Anthony in the other half of the bracket.  Robinson's talents as an athlete, businessman, announcer, and activist was too much for Anthony as voters recognized the many doors that Robinson opened and thus shut the door on Anthony eliminating our final woman still in the competition.

Click HERE for King's WE VIDEO presentation and click HERE for Robinson's WE VIDEO presentation.

Sweet 16 Matchups

Presidents Division

Ronald Reagan vs. Teddy Roosevelt


Thomas Jefferson vs. George Washington



Wildcard Bracket
Steve Jobs vs. Walt Disney


Alexander Hamilton vs. Lewis&Clark


Innovators Bracket
Thomas Edison vs. Henry Ford

Henry Ford

Bill Gates vs. Alexander Graham Bell


Social Activists Division
Martin Luther King vs. John Brown
MLK



  Susan B. Anthony vs. Jackie Robinson

Susan B Anthony

Upsets Abound In Sweet 16

The match ups were fierce throughout the the round of 32 in the Most Influential American Tournament.  With quality opponents and stiff competition, the need for a quality infographic was the key to success for this round of the tournament.  The round of 32 saw several upsets as #1 overall seed Abraham Lincoln was ousted by the compassionate conservative Ronald Reagan.  This is the second year in a row that Reagan has taken down #1 seed Lincoln.  Reagan will do battle with Teddy Roosevelt in the sweet 16.  TR spoke softly but carried a big stick and whacked it all over the head of Franklin Roosevelt in a thorough thumping of the New Deal president.  Two old rivals will meet in the other presidential match up as Thomas Jefferson knocked off James Madison providing sweet justice for the states' rights advocates and strict constructionists.  Jefferson will square off against his former boss George Washington in the sweet 16.

The social activists bracket saw two big upsets as #7 seed Jackie Robinson broke the heart of the great emancipator Frederick Douglass.  Robinson will do battle with the lone surviving woman in the field Susan B. Anthony who defeated the honorable Earl Warren in the round of 32.  While Douglass was ousted, John Brown (of Harper's Ferry fame) was able to keep his magical Cinderalla run alive by defeating #4 seed Eleanor Roosevelt.  The ladies of the bracket need to stay away from Brown as he has taken out Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Eleanor Roosevelt in the first two rounds.  Brown next matches up with Martin Luther King in the sweet 16.

The people went with the convenience of the modern world in the innovators bracket.  Thomas Edison was electric in his defeat of the Wright Brothers.  Henry Ford knocked off Albert Einstein as more voters could associate with the automobile than with E=MC2.  In a bit of a surprise, Bill Gates knocked off Ben Franklin as voters connected with the personal computer more than with all of Franklin's ingenuity.  Finally, Alexander Graham Bell dropped a bomb on Robert Oppenheimer and knocked him out of the competition.  In the sweet 16 Edison will do battle with Ford and Gates will tangle with Bell.

Finally in the wild card bracket, Lewis and Clark declared they were the greatest of all time as they knocked out Muhammad Ali and earned the highest total votes of any single person.  They will match up with the father of modern banking Alexander Hamilton who defeated Babe Ruth.  Walt Disney defeated Sam Walton in the second round and the father of the Iphone Steve Jobs wiped out Mark Twain to move to the Sweet 16.

First Round Action Complete--Top Seeds Stroll to Round of 32

Mr. Kevin Walsh's United States History Class opened up play in the Most Influential Tournament Bracket with 20 first round match ups.  Of the 20 match ups, 16 were won by higher seeds.  Teddy Roosevelt was the runaway winner of the first round as he jumped all over poor Ulyssess S. Grant who never saw the attack coming.  "I haven't been that surprised since Lee doubled back at Petersberg".  Grant said.  Other big winners were Jackie Robinson running all over labor leader Samuel Gompers.  Franklin Roosevelt scored a convincing win over Lyndon Johnson and #8 seed Upton Sinclair posted a very convincing victory over #9 seed W.E.B. Dubouis.

Three double digit seeds advanced to the round of 32.  The dreaded 5-12 match up in the Social Activist match-up saw John Brown go on the offensive against Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  The old abolitionist was up to the challenge and advances.  The highest seed to advance was #13 Sam Walton who knocked off #4 seed Henry Clay.  The Great Compromiser had nothing for the king of the cost cutting Sam Walton in the Wild Card Bracket.  Finally, #10 seed John F. Kennedy pulled off a surprising upset of WWI president Woodrow Wilson.  Kennedy had a strong push late in the day.  It wasn't exactly "Dewey defeats Truman" stuff but Kennedy made a nice comeback. Speaking of Truman, he bowed out against Ronald Reagan in opening round action.

It was good to be a heroic sports figure as Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, and Jackie Robinson all advanced pretty easily to the round of 32.

Winners in the presidents division:  Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt., Franklin Roosevelt, James Madison, and John Kennedy.

Winner in the Wild Card division:  Mark Twain, Walt Disney, Sam Walton, Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali.

Winner of the Innovators bracket:  Wright Brothers, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, and Robert Oppenheimer.

Winner in the Social Activist bracket:  Upton Sinclair, John Brown, Eleanor Roosevelt, Earl Warren, and Jackie Robinson

Check out the brackets below:

The Most Influential American Tournament Is Back!!

The culminating activity in my American History Class will be the Most Influential American Bracket.  This tournament features four brackets--the presidents, the social activists, the innovators, and a wildcard bracket.  Congratulations to our top seeds (as voted on by my three U.S. History Classes) Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Thomas Edison, and Steve Jobs.  Members of the classes will compete against each other to try and survive and advance March Madness style.

Stay connected to this blog for updated bracket and tourney wrap up.

There will be 20 first round match-ups voted on Tuesday December 2.

Ryan Kopp Cuts Down The Nets

Congrats to junior Ryan Kopp who masterly maneuvered Thomas Edison to the championship of the Most Influential American Tournament.  Kopp led Thomas Edison from the #1 seed  in the Innovators bracket and knocked of Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, and Henry Ford to advance to the Final Four.  In the semifinals, Kopp led Edison to an upset of Martin Luther King and then knocked off Teddy Roosevelt in the championship matchup.

Here is a picture of Ryan cutting down the nets

Ryan as Thomas Edison himself

Our Most Influential American Is Crowned

An esteemed panel of judges were the final selectors in the Most Influential American contest as the judges watched the Touchcast presentations of our finalists Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Edison.  While both presentations were creative with their characters, props, and backgrounds and the vote was close (4-3).  Congratulations to the winner of the Most Influential American tournament--THOMAS EDISON and his presenter Ryan Kopp.

Click on Thomas Edison to see Ryan's Touchcast Presentation.  Pay attention to the special effect at the end!

If you want to celebrate our tournament with an NCAA version of One Shining Moment

Championship Is Set As Edison and Teddy Roosevelt Advance

In the semifinals of the Most Influential American tournament, upstart Teddy Roosevelt knocked off filmmaker Steven Spielberg in a tight matchup.  The ol' Bull Moose distanced himself from the director of ET with a strong second period push.  Roosevelt advances to the championship game against the father of electricity Thomas Edison.  Edison knocked off Martin Luther King thanks to a bright finish in his Touchast presentation.

A panel of outstanding educators will watch the final two Touchcast presentations and decide on our first annual Most Influential American.

View the two Touchcast Presentations...
Thomas Edison  vs.  Teddy Roosevelt

The champion will be announced tonight at 7:00 p.m.

The final four is set!
Here are your semifinal matchups!  In the matchup of the President's bracket vs. the Wildcard bracket, Teddy Roosevelt matches up with filmmaker Steven Spielberg.  In the matchup of the Social Activist bracket vs. the Innovator bracket, Martin Luther King matches up against Thomas Edison.

Click on each semifinalists name for their TOUCHCAST video

Semifinal #1 Teddy Roosevelt   vs.  Steven Spielberg

Semifinal #2  Martin Luther King vs. Thomas Edison

We will vote on the two semifinals at the beginning of class and then vote for our champion at the end of the class.

King, Edison, Spielberg, and Teddy Roosevelt Advance to Final Four

The Final Four is set in the Most Influential American Bracket as Teddy Roosevelt leads the field as the upstart 12 seed in the Presidents' Bracket.  Roosevelt benefited from an early upset of powerhouse Abe Lincoln and has been unchallenged since.  The father of our country George Washington was no match Roosevelt and his impressive legacy as a Roughrider, a conservationist, and a progressive.  Roosevelt has a ton of momentum heading into the final four.  

10 seed Steven Spielberg surprised many with his victory over Steven Jobs.  The Wildcard bracket appeared to be the easiest route to the final four with a controversial Thomas Paine as a two seed and though popular, Walt Disney was no dominant force as the one seed.  Spielberg moved past Jobs to head into the final four.  His run in this tournament is the stuff that movies are made of.  Will Spielberg's script have a happy ending?

The first of two #1 seeds to advance was Martin Luther King.  King's role in race relations and the Civil Rights movement still resonate with "the kids" as he has rarely been challenged in his advancement to the final four.  King will be a tough out for any opponent and it appears that he has a great chance to capture the inaugural Most Influential American title.

The second #1 seed to advance is Thomas Edison.  Edison has been flying under the radar but his body of work is impressive and if he can continue to build on his resume, he will challenge King in one of the semifinal contests.

The final four and championship rounds will be on Monday April 7.

Elite 8 Is Set In Most Influential American Bracket

Great Match-Ups Dominated the Sweet 16--only 8 survive and advance

The United States' history classes Most Influential American Tournament moved to the Elite 8 on Friday as only 8 great Americans were left standing while the other 8 were sent back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong.

In the presidential region, Teddy Roosevelt walked softly but carried a big stick and used it to pound upstart Ronald Reagan.  Roosevelt jumped out to an early lead and thumped  Reagan by a 2:1 margin.  After the game Roosevelt was overheard telling Reagan "“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”   Reagan did not want to hear it as he was sent packing.

In the second match up, George Washington showed Thomas Jefferson who is the real "daddy of the nation" as he snuck by the Declaration's Declarer by the score of 25-19.  Washington was overheard saying "I can not tell a lie...I whooped Jefferson soundly!".   Analysts are already breaking into a frenzy with the upstart Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt looking to be the first 12 seed into the final four since George Mason (not the school, the real George Mason back in 2002) going against the venerable George Washington.  Washington is a perennial power in this tourney.

The Wildcard Bracket lived up to its name as it was a wild round of 16.  The votes sided with a more modern slant as Steve Jobs defeated Alexander Hamilton.  Jobs handed Hamilton and Iphone and told him to call for a ride home because he time was up.  Hamilton started to throw 10 dollar bills at Jobs screaming "yeah, look who's picture is on the 10!".  Security quickly escorted Mr. Hamilton out of the arena.  In the second matchup in this bracket, Steven Spielberg matched up with Elvis Presley.  Spielberg doubled up Presley 30-14 and whispered in the King's ear..."EP phone home!! I am the king now!".  The regional finals will match up the two Steves for a trip to the Final Four.

In the Social Activists Bracket, Muhammad Ali got hit early and often for a TKO at the hands of Martin Luther King.  In larges margin of the day, King thumped Ali.  King said afterwards.."I have a dream today and it is to advance to the final four and win the whole tournament."  Baseball star Jackie Robinson whooped up on Elizabeth Cady Stanton like she was a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.  Robinson jumped to an a sizeable lead after one class and ended up defeating Stanton 30-14.

In the last two matchups of the day, Thomas Edison defeated Andrew Carnegie.  Edison told the press afterwards, "I have never failed, I have just found 1000 ways not to do something.  Well, today, I did not fail and I did it right the first time.  It was never a contest."  Henry Ford made road kill out of the Wright Brothers as the Wrights crashed and burned by the second highest margin of the day. 

Elite 8 Action is as follows:
Teddy Roosevelt vs. George Washington--Presidents Bracket
Steve Jobs vs. Steven Spielgberg--Wildcard Bracket
Martin Luther King vs. Jackie Robinson--Social Activist Bracket
Thomas Edison vs. Henry Ford--Innovators Bracket

Sweet 16 Matchups

President's Bracket

Game 1 Ronald Reagan vs. Teddy Roosevelt

Ronald Reagan         

Theodore Roosevelt    

Game 2  Thomas Jefferson vs.George Washington

Thomas Jefferson    

George Washington    

Wildcard Bracket

Game 3  Steve Jobs vs. Alexander Hamilton

Steve Jobs                 

Alexander Hamilton 

Game 4  Elvis Presley vs. Steven Spielberg

  Elvis Presley         
Steven Spielberg      

Social Activist Bracket
Game 5  Martin Luther King vs. Muhammad Ali

Martin Luther King  Muhammad Ali        

Game 6   Jackie Robinson vs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Jackie Robinson         

Elizabeth Cady Stanton  

Innovators Bracket
Game 7   Thomas Edison vs. Andrew Carnegie

Thomas Edison          
Andrew Carnegie       

Game 8  Henry Ford vs. The Wright Brothers

Henry Ford                  
Wright Brothers         

Updated Sweet 16 Most Influential American Bracket

Upsets All Over The Bracket in Round of 32!!! #1 Seeds Lincoln and Disney Are Eliminate

The round of 32 matchups proved to be tough on the top seeds as two #1 seeds and two #2 seeds were eliminated in second round competition.  The tourney shifted gears from fact sheets to fakebook pages and technological glitches, lackluster performances sparked upsets reminiscent of the recent NCAA tournament games.  Let's get a recap of the action....

In the PRESIDENTS BRACKET:

A technological glitch hampered Abraham Lincoln's performance as students fell in love with the caring conservative and won one for the "Gipper" as #8 seed Ronald Reagan pulled away from #1 seed Abraham Lincoln.  The contest was tight throughout but a late in the game tax cut initiative pushed Reagan over the top.

In the battle of the Roosevelts, Teddy outlasted an underperforming Franklin Roosevelt.  This contest was not close and it was a runaway win for the Bull Moose on the strength of his conservation reform and work to improve sanitation in factories.  Score a W for the progressives over the New Deal Party.

In the other two matchups, the founding fathers found their way to the sweet 16.  George Washington thumped the father of the Constitution James Madison in one contest while Thomas Jefferson routed an overwhelmed Harry Truman who failed to mention his work with Civil Rights in the Government.  That oversight cost Truman some votes.

In the WILDCARD Bracket:

The best match up of the day was #1 seed Walt Disney vs. #9 seed Steve Jobs in a tightly contested matchup.  Both sides were creative in their style and prepared in their defense.  Disney was overheard saying that he knew this matchup was going to be a "rollercoaster" with ups and downs.  It was indeed as Jobs proved the apple of the eye of the majority.  He knocks off #1 seed Disney.

Alexander Hamilton was "money" in his round of 32 matchup vs. Horace Mann.  Hamilton came out strong and gave Mann an education!  This was no duel as Hamilton won easily.

The ol' houndog Elvis Presley had a nice second round win over Mark Twain.  The legend of Hannibal, MO got a late start to the game and Presley's lead was too much to overcome.  The #6 seed Presley advances to the Sweet 16.  

In the final game of the Wildcard bracket, Steven Spielberg had a victory you only see in the movies as he trumped Thomas Paine.  The selection committee was criticized for Paine's high seed and Spielberg proved that to be true as he waxed the author of Common Sense.  To voters, it was  common sense to go with Spielberg.

In the SOCIAL ACTIVIST BRACKET....

This bracket could be summed up with the phrase "A King, 2 Jocks and a Lady". Weird, huh?  MLK laid down a decisive verdict over Earl Warren.  King showed the supreme court justice who was the real judge.  Muhammad Ali has never hit a woman but he did thump Susan B. Anthony who barely got into the contest before it was over.  Ol' #42 showed he has staying power with the younger generation as Jackie Robinson worked over Samuel Gompers like the Union Busters used to to do to striking workers back in the day.

The ladies are represented in the sweet 16 as women's right activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton defeated Ralph Nader in the final contest in that bracket.  Afterwards, Nader was quoted as saying "I have lost lots of elections before and I will lose many more.  No shame in losing to Lizzie!"

In the INNOVATORS BRACKET....
Seeds held true to form as #1 seed Edison withstood an early charge from Alexander Graham Bell.  Andrew Carnegie knocked off Bill Gates in a closely contested contest and #3 seed Henry Ford rolled all over Albert Einstein.  The one upset in the bracket saw the Wright Brothers defeat John D. Rockefeller as Rocky failed to show for this one.  The Wright Brothers flew to victory via forfeit.

Round of 32 Social Activist Region

Game 1:  Martin Luther King vs. Earl Warren
Game 2:  Muhammad Ali vs. Susan B. Anthony
Game 3:  Jackie Robinson vs. Samuel Gompers
Game 4:  Ralph Nader vs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Round of 32 Innovators Region

Game 1:  Thomas Edison vs. Alexander Graham Bell
Game 2:  Bill Gates vs. Andrew Carnegie
Game 3:  Henry Ford vs. Albert Einstein
Game 4:  Wright Brothers vs. John D Rockefeller

Round of 32 Wildcard Region

Game 1:  Walt Disney vs. Steven Jobs
Game 2:  Alexander Hamilton vs. Horace Mann
Game 3:  Mark Twain vs. Elvis Presley
Game 4:  Steven Spielberg vs. Thomas Paine

Round of 32 Presidents' Region

Game 1:  Abe Lincoln vs. Ronald Reagan
Game 2:  Teddy Roosevelt vs. Franklin Roosevelt
Game 3:  Thomas Jefferson vs. Harry Truman
Game 4:  James Madison vs. George Washington 

Round of 32 Is Finalized As First Round Of Tourney Is Complete

A thrilling opening round of action saw 16 play-in contests for the opening round of the Most Influential American Bracket.  Now, the field is set for the round of 32 and some juicy match ups are on the horizon.

In the presidential bracket, the opening contest pitted 1980s icon Ronald Reagan vs. the peace loving Woodrow Wilson. Reagan dominated Wilson like he cruised over Mondale in 1984. It was a total landslide as the Reagan only allowed Wilson to earn 3 of 46 votes.  The Reagan-Lincoln round of 32 matchup appears to be a toss up at this time.  In other contests, Teddy Roosevelt raced out to an early lead after one period of voting and held on for a quality win over Civil War general and president Ulysses S. Grant.  The most closely contested contest of the bracket was Truman and Eisenhower.  Truman followed a similar script to his election in 1948.  Though the tribune did not print any "Ike Defeats Truman" newspapers, the ol' Missouri war horse was down five votes heading into the second period of voting and he outpaced Eisenhower by nine votes to win by five and move to the next round.  The father of the Constitution James Madison used an early lead to advance over James K. Polk.  The combination of his role as a founding father and leader during the War of 1812 made Madison too tough for Polk.

The social activist bracket saw Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren dominate Upton Sinclair.  Sinclair was overheard saying "It was a Jungle out there."  A transparent attempt to promote his work but also an indication that the man who brought us Brown vs. Board of Education wanted this vote to be unanimous as that one was.  Federick Douglass found out the hard way what Muhammad Ali meant when he said "I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee".  Douglass was stung early by Ali.  Though he fought hard throughout, Douglass could not overcome the early lead at the polls and Ali moves on to the second round.  Samuel Gompers went to work (get it!!) and knocked off abolitionist John Brown.  Gompers was balanced in his lead through both voting sections.  Rosa Parks did not have much support either visually or in the class and that made it an easy win for Ralph Nader.  Nader pulled away with a big second period to win.   Nader was excited after the victory noting that it was his first election that he actually won!

The innovators bracket had some exciting match ups.  Eli Whitney could not spin enough magic with this cotton gin and interchangeable parts to get a victory over Alexander Graham Bell.  Bell, the father of the phone (which is like texting, kids,  but you actually talk into it!!) was to strong and blew Whitney away 31-13.  You could tell technology was on the minds of the voters as Bill Gates dominated Jonas Salk.  The lopsided score tied Reagan for largest victory.  Gates looks tough at the 5 seed and could give Carnegie a run for his money.  In an electric play in game, Nikola Tesla could not overcome the overall brilliance of Albert Einstein.  Einstein maintained a solid lead throughout the voting.  Finally, the Wright Brothers defeat Robert Oppenheimer.  The contest can best be described by one student as this "the Wright brothers invented the thing that carried Oppenheimer's invention."  The Wright Brothers move on.

In the Wildcard division, the theme of technology continued to carry the day as Steve Jobs moved to the second round with a tight victory over Sam Walton.  Walton closed strong with his consumer friendly prices but Jobs held on to win.  Bob Dylan may have been the voice of protest in the 60s but he was dust in the wind in his first round match up with Alexander Hamilton.  Hamilton was "money in the bank" as he trounced Dylan soundly.  In a much anticipated match up the the King Elvis Presley vs. the Sultan of Swat Babe Ruth, the King was royalty as he beat Babe by three votes to advance.  Finally, it was a picture perfect moment as Steven Spielberg offered no compromise to Henry Clay. Spielberg made Clay want to "phone home" ala E.T. as Spielberg beat Clay 33-11.

The round of 32 is set for after Springbreak.  Check back for details.

Welcome to March Madness--U.S. History Style!!

Welcome to the official blog page of the 2014 United States History Most Influential American Tournament.  This 48 person tournament is broken down into 4 brackets of 12 people per bracket.  The brackets are as follows:  Presidents, Social Activists, Innovators, and Wildcard.  Each student is assigned ONE person and is their representative as they advance through the tournament.  Different modes of presentation will be used and voting will take place on the comments section of this block.

The bracket is below.

Dates for each round are as follows:
Round of 48 (play in round)--Fact Sheet Due on March 10.  Voting in class on March 10
Round of 32--Fakebook page is due on March 25.  Vote on blog March 25.
Round of 16--Google Presentation is due on March 28.  Vote on blog on March 28
Round of 8--Lucidchart is due on April 2.  Voting on blog on April 2
Final 4--Touchcast Presentation is due on April 7.  Vote in class April 7