September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001:A Day to Remember

Standing motionless in front of our televisions, we stood motionless with our jaws to the ground. We watched in shock as the Twin Towers in New York went from two beautifully built skyscrapers to rubble and dust on the ground. Our hearts stopped momentarily as people all over the country were informed that terrorists had hijacked four United States planes and attempted to crash them. The results of this horrible crime would be embedded in every citizen from then on. America was never the same after this day. On September 11, 2001, our nation was changed forever.

This tragic event left millions around the nation speechless. How could a person's goal be to kill innocent civilians? Why would anyone do this? Is this going to happen again? What can the United States do in order for this to never happen again? After the attacks on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, our nation went through great measures to prevent an unfortunate event like this to over happen again. September 11, 2001 was such a shock that our nation went through an incredible amount of change in such a short period of time.      

1. Patriot Act

• decision that the United States chose to pass almost immediately after the bombing of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon
• allowed the nation to get a better grip on security and anything that had to do with terrorism
• showed how frazzled America was; we had never experience something like this in the past
• greatly impacted the U.S. Government
• unified the House and Senate to work together in order to pass this bill quickly
• addressed new consequences for new crimes such as terrorism
2. Airport Security

• security at airports tightened up tremendously
• new installations were made for security machines that costed the U.S. millions of dollars, for the safety of everyone
• baggage checking increased
• there was always a possiblility of some random interviews with authorities
• airplane riders had to get many more security checks when they went to the airport
• showed the carelessness and weakness of the U.S. aviation system
• completely changed and altered America's airports
3. Security Hype on September 11, 2001 Anniversaries

• set paranoia around the country on aniversaries
• U.S. citizens would always remember what happened on September 11, 2001
• extra caution was taken at airport, security increased
• police recieved more calls about possible terrorist threats in 2011 than ever before
• awareness of terrorism happening again got American's attention
4. United Americans together as one

• tragic event showed America's strength and perseverence
• U.S. was able to pick itself up from the ground filled with rubble and hold her head high
• a sense of nationalism arose from 9/11
• people were able to discover their normal lives again

The terrorist attacks on America impacted citizens greatly. We can't get on an airplane without getting our bags checked. We can't bring liquids onto planes because it could carry a bomb. We can't say good-bye to our loved ones at the gates anymore. Things have changed tremendously. Though these changes are sometimes annoying, tidious, and time consuming, the United States created these new rules for our own safety. Afterall, it's better to be safe than sorry.

9/11 also gave us the opportunity to work together as a nation to overcome something greater than our own selfish, personal problems. On September 11, 2001, we were reminded of what kind of country we are and what beliefs we stand for.

An event big, like this, will always have an impact on our society, whether it's for the worse or the better. Either way, lessons are going to be learned, and mistakes won't be made again.

Photos are from Associated Press