9/11 Impact On Society

Although it may seem that the crashes themselves were the most devastating and terrifying part of the attacks, the fall of the towers caused the most damage and heartbreak all over the country. The first tower to collapse was the South Tower (Inside 9/11: War on America). It came crashing down at 9:59 a.m., almost fifty-six minutes after the initial impact, silencing the city. When the towers were built, they were built to withstand extreme conditions. The towers contained a series of fireproofing. However, the impact of the crash caused the fireproofing to blow off. As a result, the steel structure of the building softened from the extreme heat and flames from the jet fuels. The South Tower stood for fifty-six minutes after the initial impact (Johnson). Soon after the fall of the South Tower, the Pentagon also faced a destructive tragedy. At 10:10 a.m. the part of the Pentagon struck by the airplane also collapsed (Inside 9/11: War on America). Although

Before 2001 and under the Clinton Administration the United States viewed terrorism as a crime (Dudley 46). However after the attacks and under the Bush Administration, terrorism is now considered an act of war (47). Following September 2001, the government also passed the Patriot Act in October (Inside 9/11: War on America). Also in October, the United States Army invaded Afghanistan in search of Al Qaeda members and their leader, Osama Bin Laden. Two years later, we invade and spread the fight to include Iraq. The invasion was do to a belief that Saddam Hussein was producing weapons of mass destruction and due to our newly launched War on Terror, we acted to remove him (Green). Our fight would continue for several years after the initial invasions following September 11, 2001. After ten years, the U.S. Special Forces finally locate Osama Bin Laden and kill him (Inside 9/11: War on