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By the end of this section, you will be able to:
  • Discuss how the United States responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
  • Explain why the United States went to war against Afghanistan and Iraq
  • Describe the treatment of suspected terrorists by U.S. law enforcement agencies and the U.S. military
In 2001, terrorists hijack four airplanes to attack the U.S., and the U.S. invades Afghanistan; a photograph of soldiers aiming their guns from behind a hill in Afghanistan is shown. In 2002, George W. Bush creates the Department of Homeland Security. In 2003, coalition forces invade Iraq. In 2004, Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage, and Mark Zuckerberg founds Facebook; a photograph of Zuckerberg sitting with a laptop computer is shown. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastates Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi; an aerial photograph of underwater homes and trees is shown. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the House; a photograph of Pelosi is shown. In 2008, the global financial crisis begins, and Barack Obama is elected president; a photograph of Barack Obama taking the oath of office beside Michelle Obama is shown. In 2010, Congress passes the Affordable Care Act. In 2013, terrorists attack the Boston Marathon, and the Supreme Court rules the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional; a photograph of bystanders assisting the injured at the finish line of the Boston Marathon is shown.
(credit “2004”: modification of work by Elaine and Priscilla Chan; credit “2013”: modification of work by Aaron Tang; credit “2001”: modification of work by “DVIDSHUB”/Flickr)

As a result of the narrow decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore , Republican George W. Bush was the declared the winner of the 2000 presidential election with a majority in the Electoral College of 271 votes to 266, although he received approximately 540,000 fewer popular votes nationally than his Democratic opponent, Bill Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore. Bush had campaigned with a promise of “compassionate conservatism” at home and nonintervention abroad. These platform planks were designed to appeal to those who felt that the Clinton administration’s initiatives in the Balkans and Africa had unnecessarily entangled the United States in the conflicts of foreign nations. Bush’s 2001 education reform act, dubbed No Child Left Behind, had strong bipartisan support and reflected his domestic interests. But before the president could sign the bill into law, the world changed when terrorists hijacked four American airliners to use them in the deadliest attack on the United States since the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Bush’s domestic agenda quickly took a backseat, as the president swiftly changed course from nonintervention in foreign affairs to a “war on terror.”

9/11

Shortly after takeoff on the morning of September 11, 2001, teams of hijackers from the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda    seized control of four American airliners. Two of the airplanes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Morning news programs that were filming the moments after the first impact, then assumed to be an accident, captured and aired live footage of the second plane, as it barreled into the other tower in a flash of fire and smoke. Less than two hours later, the heat from the crash and the explosion of jet fuel caused the upper floors of both buildings to collapse onto the lower floors, reducing both towers to smoldering rubble. The passengers and crew on both planes, as well as 2,606 people in the two buildings, all died, including 343 New York City firefighters who rushed in to save victims shortly before the towers collapsed.

The third hijacked plane was flown into the Pentagon building in northern Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, killing everyone on board and 125 people on the ground. The fourth plane, also heading towards Washington, crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, when passengers, aware of the other attacks, attempted to storm the cockpit and disarm the hijackers. Everyone on board was killed ( [link] ).

A map shows the flight paths of American Airlines Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 93, American Airlines Flight 11, and United Airlines Flight 175 on September 11, 2001. The map contains a legend which lists chronologically the events of September 11, 2001. At 7:50 a m, American Airlines Flight 11 departs Boston from Logan International Airport. At 8:14 a m, United Airlines Flight 175 departs from the same airport. At 8:20 a m, American Airlines Flight 77 departs Washington D C from Dulles International Airport. At 8:42 a m, United Airlines Flight 93 departs Newark from Newark International Airport. At 8:46 a m, Flight 11 crashes into 1 World Trade Center. At 9:03 a m, Flight 175 slams into 2 World Trade Center. At 9:37 a m, Flight 77 hits the Pentagon. At 9:59 a m, the south tower (2 World Trade Center) collapses. At 10:03 a m, Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. At 10:28 a m, the north tower (1 World Trade Center) collapses.
Three of the four airliners hijacked on September 11, 2001, reached their targets. United 93, presumably on its way to destroy either the Capitol or the White House, was brought down in a field after a struggle between the passengers and the hijackers.

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Source:  OpenStax, U.s. history. OpenStax CNX. Jan 12, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11740/1.3
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