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9/11: 102 Minutes That Changed America Forever

Alena Wesley

Professor Babcock

English 137H: Rhetoric and Civic Life

4 November 2018
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Perhaps one of the most unforgettable moments in United States history, the attacks on

September 11, 2001 changed the United States forever. People from around the world watched in

horror as four hijacked planes committed the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. The

terrorist group, al-Qaeda, successfully hit three out of their four American targets, killing and

injuring thousands of citizens. This shocking incident left American citizens and the United

States government with a newfound paranoia and fear of terrorism. The United States

government addressed the threat of terrorism immediately following the attacks and continued to

make the necessary reforms over the following years. The attacks on 9/11 caused a dramatic shift

in America’s perception of terrorism, resulting in the United States government creating several

new laws and adding heightened security across the country.

On 9/11, “19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four

airplanes and carried out suicidal attacks against targets in the United States” (“9/11 Attacks”).

The attacks began in New York City when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north

tower of the World Trade Center. Less than 20 minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed

into the south tower of the World Trade Center (“September 11 Terror Attacks Fast Facts”).

Panic spread throughout the United States as citizens became aware that their country was under

attack. Thirty-four minutes after the north tower was struck, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed

into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (“September 11 Terror Attacks Fast Facts”). A fourth

plane, United Airlines Flight 93, had also been hijacked, but passengers fought the hijackers

onboard and the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania (“9/11 Attacks”). The north and south

towers of the World Trade Center, collectively referred to as the Twin Towers, both collapsed to

the ground. In a matter of 102 minutes, the attacks on 9/11 killed a total of 2,996 people

(“September 11 Terror Attacks Fast Facts”).

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The United States government had a new perspective on terrorism: it could happen at any

moment and the United States was not properly prepared. The United States government was

now fearful of future attacks. As a result, the government made the necessary adjustments to

protect the country. Immediately following the attacks on 9/11, the then current President George

W. Bush declared a “War on Terror” on an international level. This declaration involved “open

and covert military operations, new security legislation, efforts to block the financing of

terrorism,” and other tactics to prevent any future terrorist attacks (“War on Terrorism”).

President Bush had big plans for his declaration. He stated that it would “not end until every

terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated” (Amadeo). This type of

determination and aggression against terrorism was a new concept for the United States

government and served as a catalyst to the shift of how terrorism was perceived. The United

States government refused to let an event like 9/11 from reoccurring. When he first made his

declaration, President Bush said “our war on terror beings with [Al-Qaeda], but it does not end

there” (Amadeo). Ever since President Bush made this famous announcement, the United States

has been attempting to combat terrorism in any way possible.

Many laws were created following Bush’s declaration of a “War on Terror,” but one of

the most important and impactful was the creation of the USA PATRIOT Act. The name is

actually an acronym for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools

Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” and was created as a direct response to 9/11. This

act provided the government with an increase in surveillance and investigations, harsher

penalties for terrorist crimes, and a facilitation of sharing information between government

agencies, all regarding terrorism and its prevention (“The USA PATRIOT Act”). The USA

PATRIOT Act resulted in the revision of numerous U.S. laws in order to legally increase
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government surveillance and communication. The amended laws include the Foreign

Intelligence Surveillance Act, Right to Financial Privacy Act, and Electronic Communications

Privacy Act (“USA Patriot Act”). The majority of the laws amended were related to privacy and

ultimately increased what information the United States government has access to. There is now

constant and in-depth surveillance regarding the safety of the United States. Learning from what

happened on 9/11, the United States government now pays closer attention to potential terrorist

threats more than it has ever before.

As a more delayed response to 9/11, the United States Immigration and Customs

Enforcement, or ICE, was created by the Homeland Security Act. The Homeland Security Act

was originally introduced in 2002 in order to “reduce vulnerability of the United States to

terrorism and minimize damage and assist in recovery for terrorist attacks that occur in the

United States” (Wiedemann). Then in March of 2003, ICE was implemented. The purpose of

ICE is to promote security and safety within the United States through enforcing the

government’s laws of border control, customs, trade, and immigration (“History”). Because 9/11

was a foreign terrorist attack, the United States government became increasingly strict when it

came to immigrants. By further limiting and keeping track of immigrants, the United States

government was hoping to avert any terrorist attacks from foreign countries. Before 9/11,

immigration laws were more relaxed than they are now, and deportations were not as common.

Since 9/11, the number of deportations has almost doubled. Between 1999 and 2001 there were

approximately 200,000 annual deportations. Since then, deportation numbers have seen a

moderately steady increase and reached a high between 2009 and 2010 of almost 400,000 annual

deportations (Green). Because of 9/11 and the fact that the terrorists were from outside of the
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United States, the United States government is now much more cautious as to whom is let into

the country.

In 2003, a terrorist watchlist was created so the United States government could be more

aware of and track suspected terrorists. Since the government was mandated to share information

regarding terrorism between the different government agencies by the USA PATRIOT Act, the

Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) was created. The TSC is run by the Federal Bureau of

Investigation (FBI) and plays a critical role in counterterrorism. The TSC created a terrorist

watchlist that contains information about “the identities of those who are known or reasonably

suspected of being involved in terrorist activities” (“Terrorist Screening Center”). This

information is then used to flag possible terrorist suspects “who are attempting to obtain visas,

enter the country, board an aircraft, or engage in other activities” (“Terrorist Screening Center”).

There are a number of ways someone could end up on the terrorist watchlist. Being associated

with a known terrorist, having committed a violent act in an airport, or simply being under

reasonable suspicion can result in one being added to this list (Lee and Bender). The watchlist

was created in hopes of stopping terrorist before they have the chance to harm citizens. Before

9/11 there was no watchlist and terrorists were easily able to enter an airplane and kill thousands

of innocent people. Now, the government can flag individuals who have the same intentions and

possibly stop them before they have the chance to do any harm.

Before 9/11, airport security was particularly lax. Former Department of Transportation

Inspector General Mary Schiavo stated “in 2001, security was illusory. The airlines pretended to

deliver security and the government pretended to find it OK” (Ross, Brian, et al). What used to

be allowed on airplanes is unheard of given the new regulations today. Blades up to four inches

long could be brought onto a plane. To even more surprise, “baseball bats, box cutters, darts,
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knitting needles and scissors were also allowed on board” (O’Connor). Liquids were allowed to

be brought onto the planes and travelers did not have to take their shoes off when passing

through minimal security scanners. There was no terrorist watch list and a person’s “sketchy”

behavior or appearance did not normally cause any suspicion (O’Connor). As many may

remember, before 9/11 took place, “it wasn’t unusual to show up to the airport a half-hour before

a domestic flight” (Green). Such lax security made passing through an airport relatively quick

and easy. This lack of proper security aided terrorist attacks and ultimately led to a loss of

thousands of lives with the 9/11 tragedy.

Because 9/11 occurred due to hijacked planes, airport security dramatically increased.

The United States government’s number one priority became preventing anything like this event

from ever happening again. Since 9/11, the United States has spent almost $100 billion on the

security of airports and airplanes (Peterson). Possibly one of the most noticeable changes was the

implementation of the Transportation Security Administration, or the TSA. The TSA is an

agency responsible for the security over public travel in the United States. The law that created

the TSA, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, was passed by the Bush Administration

the November following 9/11 (Peterson). Following this law, the TSA added explosive detection

systems in December of 2002. These systems would screen all bags that passed through an

airport for explosives. Liquids must now be in clear containers of 3.4 ounces or less and most

sharp objects and tools are not allowed in carry-on bags. Most recently, as of March of 2010, the

TSA uses full body scanners in most airports (“Transportation Security Timeline”). The TSA

stated that the full-body scanners are “the most effective and least intrusive way to search

travelers for weapons hidden under their clothes” (Jansen). There is a plethora of more laws and

regulations that came with the creation of the TSA in order to adequately secure airports and
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airplanes. These major security improvements have made going through airport security take

much longer than before. The attacks on 9/11 made the United States government aware that

terrorism is a real threat to the country. This caused the government to enhance airport security

to ensure that a plane could not be hijacked in the future. The government took no chances in

what could be brought on board a plane, which resulted in the current strict rules for carry-on

luggage and overall security in airports.

Stricter airport security and laws regarding terrorism across the United States have seen

resistance from citizens. The increase in security has seen to be “sometimes infringing on

privacy rights and, in many instances, increasing scrutiny of minority travelers, particularly those

of Middle Eastern descent” (Green). Certain travelers have had issues with being targeted or

stereotyped as a possible terrorist threat based on their looks by immigration officers in airports.

In some cases, this leads to being pulled aside and having to go through an invasive pat-down.

Such profiling has also led to some travelers being put on the terrorist watchlist. Unfortunately,

“it is incredibly easy for innocent suspects to be placed on the watch list with no warning” (Lee

and Bender). The federal government has actually been sued for wrongfully adding people to the

watchlist and violating due process rights (“Muslim Organization Plans to Challenge U.S. Over

Terror Watch List System”). Many times, suspects do not even know they are being investigated

and are just frequently stopped when traveling through airport security. Once on the watchlist, it

is difficult to be removed. The government is “secretly blacklisting people as suspected

terrorists” and making it almost impossible to prove that they are innocent and will not carry out

a terrorist attack (Lee and Bender). Because of such governmental action, those who are

innocent, yet still suspected of terrorism, are met with frustration and humiliation in airports.
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The new security technology introduced in airports after 9/11 has also been met with

some controversy, with people worried about privacy and health issues. Full body scanners are

seen as a major invasion of privacy for numerous people. On multiple occasions, travelers have

“described the body scanner experience as embarrassing and humiliating” (Rotenberg). Other

travelers, especially pregnant women, are worried about the possible radiation exposure. If a

traveler chooses to opt out of the full body scanner, they are subject to a pat-down. However,

some travelers are uncomfortable with pat-downs because, at times, they can feel like sexual

assault (Rotenberg). For example, a business executive passing through airport security was

pulled aside to be pat-down and “said her breasts and the inside of her thighs were groped.”

Tears flooded down her face as she was forced to publicly withstand such an invasive security

procedure. This woman is not alone in her experiences either. Numerous reports have been made

against the TSA due to privacy invasions (Dvorak). Citizens have actively made objections

against security procedures for years. The United States government has responded with

reasoning as simple as “terrorism” and “9/11” (Rotenberg). The reasoning is valid, but citizens

are looking for boundaries to be put into place. Such an increase in security after 9/11 is raising

serious issues across the country in relation to the apparent nonexistent boundaries of TSA

security procedures.

9/11 is an event that the United States will never forget. In less than two hours, almost

3,000 innocent Americans lost their lives and the country was changed forever. Such a dramatic

shift that occurred so quickly shows the magnitude of this horrific event. The United States

government realized what a great threat terrorism is to the safety of the country and did the

means necessary to protect its citizens. Security throughout the country increased drastically.

Numerous laws were created as a direct response in hopes of preventing any future attacks, from
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both domestic and foreign threats. Seventeen years after 9/11, the change this tragedy brought to

the country can still be seen every day from heavy airport security to strict immigrations laws.

The attacks on 9/11 created a newfound fear and paranoia of future terrorist attacks that will

forever have an impact on the United States.

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Mar. 2018, www.thebalance.com/war-on-terror-facts-costs-timeline-3306300.

Dvorak, Petula. “The Attack on Our Civil Liberties by TSA, ICE and Other Government Agencies Has

Got to Stop.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 3 Apr. 2017,

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