Changes In America Post 9/11 Era

America is living in a Post September 11th era. America’s society is overflowing with bias towards Muslims, and the Americans are mentally and politically reconstructing after the attacks. Society is defined by the “customs, values [and] norms” (CSD) of the majority. Today, the majority of people are afraid of Muslims. It seems as the vast majority of America has based their opinions of Muslims on one event, the terror attacks on September 11. Considering the the past eras, an era must be characterized by a beginning and end ‘event’. For instance, The Roaring Twenties, 1920-1929, “were an age of dramatic social and political change” (History II) This era ended when the Great Depression began, because the economic prosperity that was a major
part of the 20s was gone. Seeing as, by definition, an era is a system of chronology dating from a particular noteworthy event, America is in the 9/11 era.
(History) In likeness to The Roaring Twenties, America underwent a large change in terms of their economics, politics, and viewpoints in general. The beginning of the current era is marked by the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. On this date, American’s view of the world changed significantly and no other occurrences have altered those beliefs since then. There have been no other defining features of society, at least as large as these attacks, that could have caused a change in the
era. On September 11, 2001, planes hijacked by Islamic terrorists from the group Al Qaeda were deliberately crashed into buildings, with the most influential being The Twin Towers in New York City. A mere 19 terrorists killed 2,996 victims on one day. (Wiki) It was first seen as a freak accident, but after the second collision, it was known that America was under attack. Since September 11, the number of anti-terror arrests and convictions have risen from a couple hundred to 154,161 each year. (Wiki) The attacks have provoked many changes in government and security. For instance, After the attacks, America has heightened security, creating the Department of Homeland Security, or the DHS. in response. The DHS leads America’s efforts to keep the country safe from terrorism. The DHS focuses especially on securing U.S. transportation systems, such as aviation. America is working to address terrorism, as shown by the Department of Homeland Security and a more secure foreign policy.
The United States has not only undergone political changes, but it has also undergone many alterations to the viewpoint of society.
Americans now view people who look “Arab” with extreme suspicion (Wiki), as they have not recovered mentally from the tragic attacks. Prior to the attacks, Americans may have seen people who look “Arab” as different, but as a cause of the attacks, nineteen Muslims have changed America’s view on all Muslims. The majority of Americans opinions have obviously been formed prior to the attacks.(AFM) “Nearly half of all respondent to the Pew survey said that at least ‘some’ Muslims in the U.S. are anti-American; 11 percent believe ‘most’ or ‘almost all’ feel that way.” (AMA)
Many people believe that the September 11th era is over, but its effects are still lingering and America’s viewpoints have not changed significantly enough for there to be an end to this depressing era.
On September the 11th, 2001, America felt its vulnerability - even to threats that gather on the other side of the earth. We resolved then, and we are resolved today, to confront every threat, from any source, that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America. (George W. Bush, 2002) The former president of the United States says that “we are resolved”, but the terror attacks of September 11 are far from being resolved. America may have fixed the visible damage, but there is still deep damage to America’s trust. America is still living in the 9/11
era.