Connecting Massachusetts Standard

United States History II.43

Evaluate the effectiveness of the federal government's response to international terrorism, mass shooting,

natural disasters and computer vulnerability in the 21st century

Focus Question: How did the United States respond to the 9/11 terrorist attacks?

Aerial View of the Pentagon during rescue operations after the 9/11 attacks

Topics on this page

Initial Responses

Wider Consequences

• Anti-Muslim Discrimination: Activities and Groups

Military Response to War on Terror

Department of Defense

• Memorials and Remembrances

Mass Shootings in the United States

Domestic Terrorism in the United States

 Cross-Link: Post-War American Foreign Policy for background on the Iraq Wars, Afghanistan, and other American Involvements 

Cross-Link: International Terrorism

Initial Responses

9/11 Rescue Workers

FAQs about 9/11 from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

President George W. Bush Speaks from the Oval Office, 9/11, 2001.

President George W. Bush declares "War on Terrorism" (September 20, 2001).

-Immediate increase in national security standards
-Intervention in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003)

• Authorization for use of Military force: September 18, 2001. One week after the attacks, Congress resolves that the United States must have the right to defend itself against "treacherous acts of violence." The authorization also states "that the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."

• Uniting And Strengthening America By Providing Appropriate Tools Required To Intercept And Obstruct Terrorism Act Of 2001 (USA PATRIOT ACT).Essentially, this act permits financial institutions to release information with other institutions in order to "identify and report" and terrorist activities to the federal government. (ex. NYPD Counterterrorism Unit)

• USA Patriot Act ("Dispelling the Myths" from U. S. Department of Justice Information website.)

• USA Patriot Act ("Reform the Law" from the American Civil Liberties Union website.)

• Establishment of the Department of Homeland Security through the Homeland Security Act of 2002. New Federal department dedicated to combating terrorism and reducing the effects if one occurs.

On October 7, 2001, Osama bin Laden sent his "Letter to America" which outlined the reasons for the attack on the United States, as well as what al-Qaeda was calling for the United States to do.

• See the full text of the letter: "Letter to America"

Wider Consequences

1. Responses from international community: most countries condemn the attacks and offer sympathy and assistance to the United States.
2. G8 counter-terrorism commitment: September 19, 2001. Call for counter-terrorism conventions, condemn the attacks, justice, and enhancement of counter-terrorism cooperation.

UN Security Council Resolution 1373: September 28, 2001. Call for need to "prevent and combat terrorist acts," "to prevent and combat terrorist financing," and to extradite and prosecute terrorists.

Anti-Muslim Discrimination: Activities and Groups

Image from ACLU of Texas

Map of Incidents of Anti-Mosque Activity since 2005, American Civil Liberties Union


Anti-Muslim Groups, 2000-2016, Southern Poverty Law Center


Muslim Community in the Catskills Faces Right-Wing Fear, Threats, North County Public Radio (July 12, 2017)


Anti-Sharia Law Bills in the United States, Southern Poverty Law Center (August 8, 2017). Texas and Arkansas Have Enacted anti-Sharia Legislation

Know Your Rights: Discrimination Against Immigrants and Muslims: Includes cards explaining individual rights

Military Response to War on Terrorism

This before/after aerial photograph shows Saddam Hussein's palace pre- and post-U.S. intervention in Iraq.

This interactive map of Baghdad shows violence in the city since foreign occupation. It also breaks the city down into ethnic areas.

This animated map of Iraq details Iraq War Coalition fatalities through 2007.

Department of Defense

Afghanistan and Iraq War Casualties from 2001 to the present from CNN.

9/11 Commission Report: Executive Summary

9/11 Digital Archive - 400+ TV clips

The 9/11 Interactive Timeline.

Tribute in Light, 2006

Memorials and Remembrances

Across the United States, efforts were made to remember what happened.

The memorials built at the World Trade Centers; Shanksville, PA; and the Pentagon provide materials, lesson plans, and primary source documents to teach about the events for students of various levels.

Lesson Plans from the 9/11 Memorial are coded to the Common Core, interdisciplinary and feature different plans for younger and older grade level students.

Understanding September 11 from Scholastic has lesson plans and resources for students at all grade levels.


Link to Towers Falling, a young adult novel by Jewel Parker Rhodes about the 9/11 attacks

 This article discusses how in Turkey, members of the LGBT community are categorized with terrorists for openly displaying their views about their government. that article can be found here.

Mass Shootings in the United States

Mass shootings are another form of Terrorism that has engulfed the United States for decades, and has exponentially risen. More recently, these acts have become more targeted against certain groups. There are a variety of explanations for the continual rise of these events, including one movie titled Tough Guise 2, which can be found here. 

Here are two timelines which include figures and dates from different Mass Shootings.

This timeline is from 1999 to the present: https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-GUNS/MASS-SHOOTING/nmovardgrpa/

This page explicitly details shootings since 1982 with locations, perpetrators, and news articles, and is constantly updated with each new shooting: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/mass-shootings-mother-jones-full-data/

This article details the rise in violence against the LGBT community: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/06/28/anti-gay-hate-crimes-rise-fbi-says-and-they-likely-undercount/1582614001/

Sources

1. http://www.september11news.com/InternationalReaction.htm
2. http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/terrorism/sjres23.es.html
3. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03162:
4. http://www.fincen.gov/pa_main.html
5. http://www.september11news.com/
6. http://www.g8.fr/evian/english/navigation/g8_documents/archives_from_previous_summits/kananaskis_summit_-_2002/g8_counter-terrorism_cooperation_since_september_11th_backgrounder.html
7.http://www.defendamerica.mil/wot.html
8.http://www.nypdshield.org/public/initiatives.nypd