How Did 9/11 Changed America

The events that occurred on September 11, 2001 changed the United States forever. The terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon scarred America by killing thousands of innocent citizens, tearing apart families, and highlighting how vulnerable we are to random acts of violence. September 11th was the first time since Pearl Harbor in 1941 that the United States was attacked on its own soil. The attackers really had two goals in mind in executing this terrorist act. First, they wanted to kill as many people as possible and damage some of the nation’s most influential and symbolic buildings. However, more importantly, they intended to demoralize the people of the United States and arouse a fear of future attacks. In doing so, they hoped that the country would reject its democratic values and change its way of life. These horrifying events caused Americans to radically rethink what security meant to them, in particular airport security. The 9/11 terrorist attacks revealed many airport safety issues …show more content…
Two of the airliners hit the World Trade Center in New York City, one of the planes flew into the Pentagon near Washington D.C., and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. The attacks killed approximately 3,000 people and injured 6,000 more. In New York, these horrifying events left over 2,000 people dead in a pile of debris in the heart of the city. The attack on the Pentagon killed 125 people and was shocking because it struck a symbol of American military in Washington, D.C. The fourth plane was supposedly headed toward government buildings in Washington D.C. including the White House, but many passengers on the plane fought back against the terrorists and forced the plane to spiral downwards into an open field in Shanksville,