9/11 Anniversary: How America Changed After The Deadly Terrorist Attacks

On September 11, 2001, terrorists affiliated to the Al Qaeda group executed four attacks which left the country traumatized. It forced the US to make changes in various domestic policies.

Image (AFP)

New Delhi: On September 11, 2001, a series of four coordinated attacks were made in the United States of America, which included the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, U.S. Capitol and The Pentagon by the terrorist group al-Queda, this changed US and its people forever. After 19 years, here’s a look at how the United States has changed

• Concerns about safety- There was a dramatic change in the nation's concerns about safety, vigilance, and surveillance. After the attack, the US began its war on terror, which is the longest ever running war in U.S. history. US designed a new generation of policies like the USA Patriot Act, which prioritizes national security and defense, sometimes over civil liberties. American troops invaded Afghanistan less than a month after September 11th with the support of the American people and the backing of NATO allies US began to dismantle al Qaeda, crush the Taliban and kill Osama bin Laden who was the one who planned the attack.
• Changes in air travel- Air travel became significantly different. The attack showed the failure of the country’s airport security systems and several measures were adopted to strengthen it. Before 9/11 people could roam about inside the airport without a flight ticket, ID’s weren’t checked and people didn’t really have to remove clothes or shoes. After Transportation Security Administration was formed things changed dramatically, TSA had over 50,000 employees and photo IDs were checked and electronics had to take out of their carry-on. Security protocols became very intensive and thorough.
• Hate crimes- One of the fallouts of the attack was that people became more and hostile towards Muslims and the Islamic community. This gave rise to Islamophobia, and anti-muslim attacks skyrocketed, even before the attack anti-muslim crimes did take place but it only increased over the years.
• Increase in surveillance- The controversial Patriot Act loosened “unreasonable search and seizure” and in order to search for the terrorist within the community, people’s internet searches and library records were skimmed through. The authorities could randomly search houses of people without any notice and even tap their phone.

The 9/11 attacks left Americans traumatized, while the country still faces domestic terror attacks, no large scale attacks have taken place.