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Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON

Research Investigation Kelly Mason HIS 200: Applied History Southern New Hampshire University February 14th , 2021

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Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON

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Introduction: There are many events that can make a significant impact in our lives. Whether it be the death of someone we love, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. However, On September 11th, 2001, the lives of almost every American was changed. Many Americans sat in front of their televisions watching planes crash into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. Many Americans wondered who was behind these horrific events and why. And most Americans agreed that whoever was responsible should be held accountable for the over 3,000 deaths that day. We watched in horror as the World Trade Centers crumbled to the ground, still housing hundreds of people. While this event effected millions of people around the World, the people of New York were hit the hardest by this act of terror. Almost 20 years later, the contingencies of the attacks on 9/11 are still felt in the hearts of every New Yorker, and the psychological effects have persisted. While the empty space in the New York City skyline has been replaced, the feelings of hopelessness, loss, and fear still resonate in the minds of the people of New York. Thesis: The events of September 11th, 2001 will never be forgotten, neither will the psychological effects that these attacks on the people of New York. After 20 years, the contingent effects of this awful event have impacted the daily lives of Americans, those who helped, those who mourned, and those who watched. Body For practically every American, the attacks on September 11th, 2001 were unforgettable. Many people can remember where they were, who they were with, and even what they were wearing as the watched the American way of life crumble before them. The attacks on 9/11 were

Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON

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something that most never expected and were the first time since Pearl Harbor that America was attacked on her own soil. When analyzing these events of 9/11, the cause can be narrowed down to one thing: Fear. The men who followed through with the attacks on the World Trade Center were known to be part of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization run by Osama Bin Laden. According to the 9/11 Memorial website, “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, as the centerpieces of the World Trade Center, symbolized globalization and America’s economic power and prosperity”. The reason with World Trade Center and the Pentagon were targeted was because of the symbolism behind it. These buildings represented the American people, the government, and the allies of the United States. When the planes hit these buildings, the message was clear that the war was not against anything we could give up, which was the American way of life. Immediately following the planes crashing into the World Trade Center, chaos ensued. The United States Military was put on high alert, National Guardsmen were mobilized to Washington D.C and New York, and two aircraft carriers were sent to the New York Harbor (Schmemann, 2001). Along with these strategic moves which happened within an hour of the attacks, President George W. Bush was aboard Air Force One, returning back to Washington, D.C. Along with the Federal and Local Government response to the attack, the civilian response was just as extreme. Every fire department within 100 miles of the World Trade Center dispatched almost every unit, the NYPD officers were called on in full force, ambulances and EMT’s from the Tri-State area came to help the rescue efforts. The response from the people of

Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON

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New York was unlike anything that had ever been seen. For the first time in American History, the largest city in the United States, was closed for business. Many New Yorkers will be able to remember the events from 9/11 in such extreme detail, you may find it hard to believe. As a New Yorker myself, I can tell you what was going through my middle school mind as we switched on the news just in time to see the second plane crash into building 1. It was a fear that many of us will ever be able to put into words. In an instant, many of us were trying to remember if our parents were there, if our relatives had to go into the city that day, if our NYPD uncles and aunts were working. In a moment, we wondered who we would see again when we were able to leave school. “There was the expectation that friends and relatives would be revealed among the victims. Schools prepared to let students stay overnight if they could not get home, or if it emerged that there was no one to go home to” (Schmemann, 2001). There were many moving parts to the response to the events of September 11th, 2001. However, one of the most important participants was the sitting President of the United States, George W. Bush. Prior to the first plane hitting One World Trade, President Bush was in Sarasota, Florida in a class of elementary school students. The president was given the news with dozens of small eyes on him which forced him to not react. When the president finally addressed the nation that evening, there was a strong sense of sorrow and disbelief. However, it was his address on September 20th, 2001 that President Bush promised that justice would be served. “Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done” (George W. Bush, 2001).

Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON

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The address to the Nation on September 20th, was the first official declaration of War on Al Qaeda. The President, the people of New York, and the Country all wanted someone to be held accountable for the nealy 3,000 lives that were lost that day. However, this declaration of war was unlike the wars of the past. The president did not only call upon the United States military, but the armed forces around the world. “This is not, however, just America’s fight. And what is at stake is not just America’s freedom. This is the world’s fight. This is civilizations fight. This is the fight for all those who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom” (George W. Bush, 2001). These words and the actions that followed, led America into a war that lasted almost 20 years. While there are many times the U.S. Government can not come to an agreement, the declaration of war and the Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) was an almost unanimous decision. ‘the House of Representatives on September 14 approved the resolution by a vote of 420-1. The Senate approved it the same day by a vote of 98-0. The lone dissenting vote was Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California” (Greenwald, 2016). With a strong support for AUMF, the United States were about to begin a fight with one end in sight, serve justice to the families of the 9/11 victims and the people of New York. The lasting impact of the events of September 11th are still felt today, almost 20 years later. Along with the nearly 3,000 deaths from the attacks themselves, nearly 10,000 first responders have developed a 9/11 related cancer with more then 2,000 succumbing to the disease (Cutler, 2018). During the wars the have started because of the attacks, nearly 7,000 United States Servicemembers have lost their lives. Laterally, with all the death associated with the attacks, the public opinion of the response to 9/11 has evolved with many people thinking the war should have never started.

Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON

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Immediately following the deployment of troops to Iraq, a gallup poll was conducted which showed that nearly 59% of Americans supported the war strongly. However, “According to a Gallup poll conducted from August 2002 through early March 2003, the number of Americans who favored the war in Iraq fell to between 52 percent to 59 percent, while those who opposed it fluctuated between 35 percent and 43 percent” (Saad, 2002). With the support of the war continuing to decline as each year passed, it became a topic of political pressure to promise the end to the war in the Middle East. In 2020, after almost two decades, there are less than 5,000 troops in the area. While the events of September 11th, 2001 changed the way of life of Americans, it had a ripple effect that inevitably changed the world. Although it has been said that without war, there is no peace. This event shows the impacts of wars, terrorism, and the lasting effects it has on society. When the towers fell on that fateful day, no one knew what was in store over the next week, month, or years. The fear the trickled through the small towns, local business, and even the federal government was apparent. With that being said, the events of September 11th, 2001 changed us all, as a country, as a community, and as individuals. Those two words “Never Forget” reign true to every person who stood by watching the symbols of America reduced to rubble.

Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON

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References Beyerlein, K., & Sikkink, D. (2008). Sorrow and Solidarity: Why Americans Volunteered for 9/11 Relief Efforts. Social Problems, 55(2), 190-215. doi:10.1525/sp.2008.55.2.190. Bush, G. W. (2001). Address by GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States Delivered to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People, Washington, D.C., September 20, 2001. Vital Speeches of the Day, 67(24), 760.

"Deaths from 9/11 diseases will soon outnumber those lost on that fateful day" -nancy cutler. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2018/deaths-from-911-diseases-will-soonoutnumber-those-lost-on-that-fateful-day

Greenwald, G. (2016, September 11). Barbara Lee's Lone vote on sept. 14, 2001, was as prescient as it was brave and heroic. Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://theintercept.com/2016/09/11/barbara-lees-lone-vote-on-sept-14-2001-was-asprescient-as-it-was-brave-and-heroic/

Hans-Juergen Wirth. (2004). 9/11 As a Collective Trauma : And Other Essays on Psychoanalysis and Society. Routledge.

Saad, L. (2020, March 05). Top ten findings about public opinion and Iraq. Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://news.gallup.com/poll/6964/top-ten-findings-about-public-opinioniraq.aspx

Running Head: RESEARCH INVESTIGAITON Schmemann, S. (2001, September 12). President Vows to Exact Punishment for 'Evil'. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/us-attacked-presidentvows-to-exact-punishment-for-evil.html

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