9/11 was the most significant act of terrorism that has ever taken place on American soil and is known as, “the defining event of our time”. The event not only shook and traumatized the witnesses of the attacks but all the citizens of the United States as well as thousands of other people around the world. The events resulted in 2,996 people killed 6,000 others injured and $10 billion worth of infrastructure and property damaged, greatly impacting America’s economy as well as thousands of people’s mental state and changing America’s security systems and safety precautions forever. The events that took place on the morning of September 11th, 2001, have changed the perspective people have on the world forever.
The attacks took place on the 11th of September 2001 when 19 militants belonging to the Al Qaeda terrorist group boarded and then hijacked four planes from different locations across the East Coast of America. 3 of the hijacked planes hit their targets, World Trade Centre 1 and World Trade Centre 2 in New York City were hit by the first two planes and the third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington DC. The fourth plane was intended to hit the White House but crashed in a field after the passengers took control of the plane from the Hijackers.
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9/11 had a major economic impact on the United States as well as many surrounding countries. Each building that was struck on September 11, 2001, were all buildings that was a symbol of American Financial power. Al Qaeda’s motive was to push any kind of foreign power or influence out of Muslim countries and they felt they would be successful in doing so by attacking one of the most influential and economic powers in the world, a country they felt extremely nave towards– the United States of America. Not only did America lose $10 billion worth of infrastructure from the attacks but $123 billion was lost over the 2-4 weeks after the towers collapsed, $40 billion was the cost of an emergency anti-terrorism package, $15 billion was the value of the Aid package to bail out the airlines and $9.3 billion worth of insurance claims were made. 1,464 insurance claims were made across New York amounting to $8.2 billion worth and 130,000 employees were laid off across the United States. The ‘September 11 Victim Compensation Fund’ was created in order to supply financial assistance for the victims of the attacks as well as the families of the victims of the attacks.
The terrible events that took place had a huge mental as well as emotional impact on many, many people. Paranoia and anxiety were generated surrounding any future terrorist attacks which led to major cultural impacts on the entire world. Society began to develop a deeper focus on home life as well as religion leading church attendance rates to rise after the events. Certain songs were played on the radio that paid homage to the attacks and films, television, music, and literature were also influenced by the attacks. Any movies or TV shows that were in the process of being made that depicted the World Trade Center had to be re-edited before release. The rate of blood donations rose by 2.5x the week after the terrible events that took place. Psychological studies showed that higher rates of clinical behavioral issues were found in Preschool children across New York. Based on studies, PTSD and Depression rates rose higher after the attacks and many children who lost parents in the attacks grew up to suffer from depression and self-harm later on in their life. Airports around the US were shut down after the attacks which led many travelers to be left stranded, Many Canadian households opened up their homes for any stranded people, and animal cruelty prevention societies were opened up. Unfortunately, many people’s perception of particular races was altered after the events that took place, and the following weeks after the attacks led to an increase in intense harassment and hate crimes towards South Asians, Middle Easterns, and anyone thought to be associated with the “Middle Eastern” look.
Following 9/11, the United States government vigorously attempted to build a stricter American foreign policy and to address terrorism to their abilities in fear of similar events happening in the future. Military operations, economic pressures, and political pressures were all increased after the attacks and airports especially became more intense. Luggage screening became the center focus of airport security after the Al Qaeda group members were easily able to sneak through airport security with baggage full of weaponry without any suspicion. Airport customs workers were now legally able to break and enter into personal luggage to check for any dangerous or suspicious content from inside the bag. Not only did security at airports intensify but iconic locations all around New York City now have intense security systems that must be passed before entering these particular buildings to prevent future disasters. An international military campaign named, ‘War on Terrorism’ was launched by the United States government as a reaction to the 9/11 attacks. The ‘War on Terror’ campaign was announced by then US President George Bush on September 20th, 2001. In a conference with the nation, President Bush made the statement, “Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.”, declaring war on the Middle East. The war began on October 7th, 2001, and by May 2nd, 2011 Osama Bin Laden (the leader of Al Qaeda) was killed by the U.S. Special Forces.
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