The Correlation between the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11 and How Subsequent Government Policy Changes Have Affected American Lives The events that occurred on September 11th, 2001 are ones that will not soon be forgotten, due to their lasting impact on the American government and the individual lives of Americans themselves. The coordinated terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda on the Twin Towers and the World Trade Center has had a lasting impact on the United States, resulting in a war on terror that has irrevocably changed the fabric of American life. Changes implemented in government policy, including increased surveillance methods and safer air travel, have improved the lives of American citizens, while changes in national sentiment toward Islam and the effects of the War on Terror have had certain negative repercussions that have lasted the test of time. After nineteen terrorists successfully carried out the deadly 9/11 attacks, President Bush mobilized the War on Terror, a military campaign that would eventually span nearly 20 years (Roos.) in which he called on world leaders to follow the U.S. by example to completely eradicate terrorists before they can act. While Americans eventually became disillusioned with the War on Terror as thousands of troops were killed, the prevention of future large-scale terrorist attacks and an increase in national security was a decidedly beneficial result of this military campaign. Moreover, in response to 9/11 the Transportation Security Administration was created, an undertaking that effectively improved airport security. The TSA allowed for background checks for airport employees where previously there were none, and TSA officers were now trained to detect suspicious behaviors in an attempt to thwart any terrorist attack that may be in progress. There were many changes to how people fly as well - electronics were to be removed from carry on luggage, shoes were to be taken off and searched, and the use of full body scanners was implemented where before, only x-rays that could detect metal objects were utilized. Before, no one checked the identification of passengers, and checked baggage was never scanned. The attacks, although horrific, did ultimately result in the birth of anti-terrorism legislation and stronger emergency response and international travel procedures, increasing the safety and security of the U.S. as a nation.
Vanna Latorre2 May 22, 2022 ENC1101 Essay 2: Cause and Effect Although new security institutions and the dissolving of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are obvious positive results of the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. was nonetheless affected in other, less desirable ways. The American opinion on Islam has been negatively affected as a result of the attacks; in fact, 50% of Americans believe that Islam is more likely to encourage violence among its followers than other religions (Galston.). Anti-Muslim violence increased after the events of 9/11 took place, and many Americans began to associate the violent attacks with Islam as a whole, instead of with the small number of Muslim extremists who advocated for such violence in the name of the religion. Racial profiling was abundant among TSA workers, and anti-Muslim assaults and acts of violence increased in the year after 9/11, and have continued to increase ever since. In addition to this long-standing anti- Islam sentiment, the Patriot Act was soon passed, which on the whole was not received well by Americans. In a desperate attempt to locate intelligence failures that could potentially allow terrorists to set foot on U.S. soil, the Patriot Act changed how government agencies like the FBI and NSA conducted surveillance. However, many soon realized that this legislation provided intelligence agencies the ability to search internet history and tap into phone conversations without establishing probable cause, and many times Americans were no longer protected from unreasonable search and seizure of property, which is an infringement on human rights. The FISA Amendments act was passed soon after, which allowed the NSA to eavesdrop on phone calls, emails, and text messages with little judicial oversight. This breach of privacy has fostered a widespread distrust of government officials that never dissipated, and it has left Americans more fearful and uneasy than ever before. Although some positivity may be gleaned from the terrorist attacks on that fateful day in September, America has been immutably changed as a result, and not entirely for the better.
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