significant social and political change. The division in the country

between those who supported the war and those who opposed it led to a

political and social revolution. Americans began, as never in the past, to

question and publicly protest decisions made by the government and elected

officials. Congress and the public challenged the president on U.S.

military and foreign policy issues. The war became a standard for

comparison in future situations that might involve U.S. troops abroad. The

American culture and tradition for unquestioning support of the government

ended and the perception of what constituted patriotism and loyalty changed

dramatically. However, none of these changes led to a major economic

downturn, precipitated a war, or denied the civil rights of Americans as

did the events following World War I.

The two finalists in the competition are from bracket II, the "Civil

War", and from bracket III, "World War I". Despite the significant

implications of World War I and the fact that the Civil War occurred over

one hundred years ago, the Civil War remains as the most important event in

American history. Unlike the Civil War,

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