Junto March Madness 2014: Round Two Results

Round Two voting has opened and closed, and although some of the favorites won their round decisively, others lost in surprising upsets.

Over 235 of you voted on the first day of Round Two. Top-seeded Taylor beat Brown’s Foul Bodies–but the margin wasn’t exactly a squeaky-clean one. In facing McConville, Richter enjoyed perhaps the East-iest win. The two biggest upsets were Gould’s powerful win over Brekus, and Goetz sending Jasanoff off into exile. In Bracket Two, The Comanche Empire continued to dominate, and a late rush put Bonds of Alliance well ahead of DuVal’s Native Ground. Triumph proved elusive for Allgor, who lost out to Mapp, and Morgan worked hard for a win over Greer.

On day two, it was a tale of two brackets. Bracket Three went more or less to form, with the top three seeds each progressing through to the Sweet 16, with the only exception being Michael Jarvis continuing an impressive run from a 13 seed. Christopher Brown can feel unfortunate to be out of the tournament, losing the battle of the Browns to Vincent by only two votes. The matchups in Bracket Four were considerably less close, but also included considerably more upsets. The world (or at least the seeding) turned upside down with Woody Holton defeating Joanne Freeman’s Affairs of Honor comfortably; Rosemarie Zagarri and Seth Cotlar both ended up with comfortable victories as well. While the tops seeds have generally fared well in the first three brackets, the political bracket has been a graveyard for some of the most frequently nominated books.

Matchups for Round Three will commence on Monday. I wouldn’t be surprised if Goetz goes for the gold, but given Richter’s impressive run so far my money’s on him if those two have to fight it out. The Mapp-Rushforth matchup should also make for an interesting contest. In Bracket Three, all eyes will be on Rockman vs Jarvis—can a number 13 seed do what has never been done (at least in the NCAA March Madness) and make the Elite Eight? In Bracket Four, will Breen suffer the fate of all the other top seeds, and make an unexpectedly early exit? And will Woody Holton continue a string of resounding victories? Come back on Monday to vote and settle these questions!

ROUND TWO RESULTS

BRACKET ONE [transnational/religion]

1. Alan Taylor, The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies 53%
def. 9. Kathleen Brown, Foul Bodies: Cleanliness in Early America 47%

2. Catherine Brekus, Sarah Osborn’s World: The Rise of Evangelical Christianity in Early America 43%
lost to 10. Eliga Gould, Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire 57%

3. Maya Jasanoff, Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World 45%
lost to 6. Rebecca Anne Goetz, The Baptism of Early Virginia: How Christianity Created Race 55%

4. Daniel Richter, Facing East From Indian Country: A Native History of Early America 76%
def. 5. Brendan McConville, The King’s Three Faces: The Rise and Fall of Royal America, 1688-1776 34%

BRACKET TWO [race/Native American/gender]

1. Pekka Hämäläinen, The Comanche Empire 61%
def. 8. Linford Fisher, The Indian Great Awakening: Religion and the Shaping of Native Cultures in Early America 39%

2. Catherine Allgor, Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government 45%
lost to 10. Paul Mapp, The Elusive West and the Contest for Empire, 1713-1763 55%

3. Brett Rushforth, Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France 61%
def. 11. Kathleen DuVal, Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent 39%

4. Alan Greer, Mohawk Saint : Catherine Tekakwitha and the Jesuits 40%
lost to 12. Jennifer Morgan, Laboring Women: Reproduction and Gender in New World Slavery 60%

BRACKET THREE [race/slavery]