Effects of 9/11

Essay by jaybrog November 2004

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Effects of September 11th 2001

The September 11th attacks involved the hijacking of four commercial planes with full tanks of jet fuel, which were used as bombs in an act of terror. The planes were Boeing 767's which weigh about 400,000 pounds when fully loaded. The plane can carry up to 24,000 gallons of jet fuel (The September 11 Digital Archive). Two planes were flown into the two towers of The World Trade Center, one into The Pentagon, and the last aircraft crashed into a Pennsylvania field. We do not know the intended target of the last plane. In short, the effects of September 11th were in the economy, homeland security, and in the hearts and minds of Americans.

Nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the tragedy (sadnews). The twin towers of the World Trade Center, five other buildings, and a subway station in New York City were destroyed or partially collapsed; Twenty-three additional buildings nearby were damaged, and a portion of the Pentagon was also severely damaged.

Shortly following the attacks, the United States government accused Al Qaeda, an Islamic organization widely held responsible for numerous terrorist acts. Al Qaeda was blamed for funding and carrying out the attacks. This led to the "War on Terror" that included the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan with the support of the United Nations. These measures were also evoked to generate domestic support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq without explicit support or rejection of the U.N. and been used by the U.S. government as a justification to increase pressure on groups accused of being terrorists, as well as governments and countries accused of harboring them.

September 11th, 2001 had tremendous effects on the United States immediately after the attacks. Numerous memorial services were held all over the world. In Berlin, 200,000 Germans...