George W

George W. Bush September 20, 2011 Address to Congress On September 11, 2001 the American nation was shaken with news of a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Fear and panic commandeered the spirits of American citizens as they awaited to hear if their loved one had perished, if another attack had been planned for somewhere else in the United States, and how their nation would rise from the ashes to face another tomorrow. Not only had their nation been attacked, but also the true measure of their freedom had been questioned. In times like these, the American people put their faith in their president. They rely on his leadership to instruct them on what to do next. This essay explores the context surrounding President George W. Bush's Address to Joint Session of Congress on September 20, 2001, and how the social events, people, and overall national fear helped to shape this address. The evening of the attacks on September 11, the President addressed the nation in order to commemorate the attacks. No such attack of terrorism had ever been so deliberate and harmful to citizens as those that had happened earlier that day. The American people needed a strong leader to alleviate that fear. George W. Bush clearly addresses the issue of terrorism in his address:
The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them (Bush).
Though President Bush addressed this issue, the fear of terrorism continued to grow. This slightly irrational fear comes from a couple different factors. One, that humans fear what they cannot control, and two, that they fear what is most readily available in memory (Myers). With the heartbreaking attacks on the World Trade Center happening only nine days prior,

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