HIST 405N Week 8 Discussion: Terrorism in the 21st Century
Discuss how you see the "war on terrorism" as of this date. Do you think the United States
should be engaged in such a war? Give reasons for or against this war and whether or not we are
giving up our own principles to wage it.
, ANSWER
The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the
Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues also moved to
the forefront during the Great Recession as awareness of social inequality grew.
In the 21st century, the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombings notably
changed society in America.
In the early morning on September 11, 2001, 19 Arabic men went aboard on four
American planes. These men all belonged to al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist terrorist group. Just
shortly after take-off, these Islamic terrorists took over the cockpits of the planes using mace and
box cutters, killing all of the American pilots, and ultimately used pilots of their own (all by
which received private flight instructions in American flight schools) to hijack and fly these
planes into set targets (Keene, et. al., 2013).
“At 8:46 a.m. the first plane plowed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in
New York City, an internationally recognized landmark that symbolized American dominance
over the world economy” (Keene, et. al., 2013, p. 874). Seventeen minutes after the first plane
hit, a second plane crashed into the South Tower. America now understood that what originally
looked like a devastating accident was indeed a coordinated and constructed attack against
America. “A third plane crashed into the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of
Defense, in Virginia, the building most closely associated with U.S. military might in the eyes of
the world” (Keene, et. al., 2013, p. 874). Meanwhile, the passengers on the fourth hijacked
airplane had fought back against the terrorists, reaching the cockpit and ultimately preventing the
Discuss how you see the "war on terrorism" as of this date. Do you think the United States
should be engaged in such a war? Give reasons for or against this war and whether or not we are
giving up our own principles to wage it.
, ANSWER
The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the
Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues also moved to
the forefront during the Great Recession as awareness of social inequality grew.
In the 21st century, the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombings notably
changed society in America.
In the early morning on September 11, 2001, 19 Arabic men went aboard on four
American planes. These men all belonged to al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist terrorist group. Just
shortly after take-off, these Islamic terrorists took over the cockpits of the planes using mace and
box cutters, killing all of the American pilots, and ultimately used pilots of their own (all by
which received private flight instructions in American flight schools) to hijack and fly these
planes into set targets (Keene, et. al., 2013).
“At 8:46 a.m. the first plane plowed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in
New York City, an internationally recognized landmark that symbolized American dominance
over the world economy” (Keene, et. al., 2013, p. 874). Seventeen minutes after the first plane
hit, a second plane crashed into the South Tower. America now understood that what originally
looked like a devastating accident was indeed a coordinated and constructed attack against
America. “A third plane crashed into the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of
Defense, in Virginia, the building most closely associated with U.S. military might in the eyes of
the world” (Keene, et. al., 2013, p. 874). Meanwhile, the passengers on the fourth hijacked
airplane had fought back against the terrorists, reaching the cockpit and ultimately preventing the
