Within the time frame of the course, 1877 to the present, explain and defend your position on

what you think is the most significant event that has shaped America into the nation it is today.
I chose the event of 9/11/2001, I feel that the events that occurred on this day changed
America forever. Not only are there many conspiracys as to what happened, my generation has
chosen to make a meme (Bush did 9/11) out of it. Which I feel is very disrespectful to those who
suffered from 9/11, but to each his own. I will explain what 9/11 is, what happened, who was
involved, and a few key points. I will also explain my opinion on why I think this event changed
America, as well as examples of how it changed America.
The Twin Towers were the centerpieces of the World Trade Center. Each at 110 stories,
and providing 10 million square feet for the 35,000 people and 430 companies. They were the
tallest buildings in New York City and they attracted around 70,000 tourists and commuters
every day.
September 10th, 2001- U.S authorities found a letter handwritten in Arabic in the suitcase of
Mohamed Atta. The letter included the Islamic prayers, instructions for a last night of life, and a
practical checklist of reminders. The FBI released an untranslated copy of the letter, the British
newspaper The Observer published the translated version of the letter. And later on additional
copies of the letter were found at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania and
at Dulles International Airport parking lot in a car registered to one of the hijackers on Flight 77.
The first thing listed in the letter was Make an oath to die and renew your intentions. I find that
very sinister, and frightening.
September 11th, 2001- On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda,
hijacked four commercial airplanes, deliberately crashing two of the planes into the upper floors
of the North and South towers of the World Trade Center and a third plane into the Pentagon in
Arlington, Va. The twin towers ultimately collapsed because of the damage sustained from the
impacts and the resulting fires. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people from 93 nations. 2,753
people were killed in New, York, 184 people were killed at the pentagon and 40 people killed on
Flight 93. The terrorists did not have the capacity to destroy the United States militarily, so they
set their sights on symbolic targets instead. The twin towers symbolized globalization and
Americas economic power and prosperity. The Pentagon serves as a symbol of American
military power. It was thought that Flight 93 was headed to the Capital building, the center of
American legislative government.
On September 11th, 2001 at 9:30 A.M president George Bush made an announcement whilst at
the Emma Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. He was supposed to talk about
education, but after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center, he then made a speech about
what had happened and that he would be heading back to Washington right away. Today weve
had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent
terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the Vice President, to the Governor of New York,
to the Director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government go
to help the victims and their families, and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and
to find those folks who committed this act. Terrorism against our nation will not stand. And now
if you would join me in a moment of silence. May God bless the victims, their families, and
America. Thank you very much. (White House Archive)
Later that day at 8:30 pm President Bush gave a statement in his address to the nation. I will list
key points. Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came
under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in
their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads,
friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of
terror. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat.
But they have failed; our country is strong. Our first priority is to get help to those who have
been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world
from further attacks. America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and
security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for
your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all
whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a
power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me." (White House Archive)
The key individuals in the 9/11 attack were Islamic terrorist from Saudi Arabia and
several other Arab nations. They were financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Ladens al-Qaeda
terrorist organization, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for Americas support of Israel, its
involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and its continued military presence in the Middle East.
Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying
lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others slipped into the country in the months
before 9/11. The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three
East Coast airports and boarded four flights bound for California. Chosen because the planes
were full of fuel, and could last the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the
terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming ordinary commuter
jets into guided missiles.
Americas involvement in the War on Terror prompted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks
resulted in a dramatic change in our nations attitudes and concerns about safety and vigilance. It
ushered new policies like the USA Patriot Act, prioritizing national security and defense, often at
the expense of civil liberties. The major event of 9/11 has caused a ripple effect on our nation,
leading in dramatic impacts nationwide resulting from the events of that tragic day.
Ongoing wars, less than a month after 9/11 U.S troops invaded Afghanistan in an attempt
to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban government harboring the group. Two years later,
in 2003 the United States invaded Irag and deposed President Saddam Hussein. The invasion was
a key part of Americas newly launched War on Terror, which was under the leadership of
president George W. Bush. Our military involvement in Afghanistan turned into the longest-
running war in U.S history. In December 2011, remaining troops were pulled out of Iraq, leaving
the nation in far more volatile state than when military operations first began in 2003.
After 9/11, budgets for defense-related agencies skyrocketed: Homeland Securitys
discretionary budget skyrocketed. As well as the budget of the Coast guard, Transportation
Security Administration and Border Patrol they have all doubled since 2001.
In the last 15 years, millions of young U.S soldiers have been deployed overseas,
thousands have been killed, many have returned home with debilitating physical and mental
injuries. Roughly 3.1 million Americans entered military service between 2001 and 2011 and
nearly 2 million were deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. In that time, more than 6,000 American
troops have been killed, and roughly 44,000 wounded. In addition to all the deaths, 18 percent
have post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, and 20 percent have reported suffering from
the effects of traumatic brain injury.
The Bush Administration created the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, a
cabinet level office that merged 22 government agencies. The agency has overseen a massive
increase in deportations, which have nearly doubled since 9/11. There were roughly 200,000
deportations a year between 1999 and 2001. In the first two years of the Obama administration
(2009-2010) deportations hit a record high of nearly 400,000 annually. About half of those
deported in that period were convicted of a criminal offense, although mostly for low-level, non-
violent crimes.
Long airport lines, full body scans, the occasional pat-down, its all a part of the domestic flight
these days. There was a time when you could go to the airport 30 minutes prior and keep your
shoes on, skip through the metal detector without ever having to show an ID. Before 9/11 pat
downs were very uncommon, liquid was allowed, you didnt have to go through full body
scanners and passengers were allowed to take box cutters aboard. Any knife with a blade up to
four inches long was permitted, and cigarette lighters were just fine to bring aboard.
After 9/11 another major change in our nation was big surveillance. The U.S intelligence
state boomed, the growth resulted in a marked increase in government oversight, primarily
through a vast network of phone and web surveillance. Classified documents that were leaked
last year by former government contractor Edward Snowden detailed the expansion of a colossal
surveillance state that has seeped into the lives of millions of Americans. The growth of this
apparatus, with a budget of $52.6 billion, was brought to light in 2016 by the Washington Post.
They obtained a black budget report from Snowden, detailing the bureaucratic and operational
landscape of the 16 spy agencies and more than 107,000 employees that now make up the U.S
intelligence community.
Since the horrible event of 9/11, our nation has gone through many changes. Not only
have airports changed, but our nation as a whole has gone through major changes. National
security can view anything that we are doing. We have banished many people from the U.S,
because we suspect them of being terrorists. We have changed our whole view point on the
people from Iraq, anyone with a turban can be viewed as a terrorist. Our nation has been
subjected to accusing innocent people, and deporting them out of our country. Many men and
women who have served our country since 2001 have come home injured, and full of mental
disorders. We have pushed our boundaries in other countries, and spend billions of dollars on
war. In addition to all of this, our country is still fearful of something like 9/11 happening again.
Especially with Trump as our president, the fear of war is still hanging over our heads.
 Works Cited
http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/BS01101T.pdf
(example of the Last Night Letter.)
Matthew Green. KQED News. How 9/11 Changed America: Four Major Lasting Impacts
September 6, 2016.
https://www.911memorial.org
A lot of my information came from this site, I wasnt sure how to site it because its mostly links
to other links, but all within that one website. They also dont have any sources of who wrote the
articles or information.
georgewbushwhitehouse.archives.gov Where I got the speeches from George Bush on 9/11