Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States came together with a staunch promise to “never forget” that day’s atrocities. Congressmen from opposing parties reached across the aisle and stood arm in arm at the Capitol to show their commitment to this pledge. But,when another terrorist attack had stunned New York City a century earlier, this promise did not exist. In 1920, a bombing on Wall Street rattled the city’s financial core and earned the title as the city’s worst terrorist attack until 2001. The assault came merely two years after the US debuted as a global superpower with World War 1’s end. Despite the attack on this newfound American identity, the bombing never found closure for proving for the first time that the US was not invincible. Though many Americans thought the country as indestructible, the Wall Street Bombing had shown the opposite. On September …show more content…
16, 1920, the tragic bombing occurred by the J.P. Morgan building, writes Beverly Gage’s The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror (18-37). FBI’s A Byte Out of History states that a horse drawn carriage, abandoned by its owner during rush hour that day, exploded in minutes from the several hundred pounds of dynamite strapped to the carriage (par. 1). The explosion’s impact had immediately killed several citizens, and, within one day, more than 30 civilians died with several hundred injured, according to Beverly Gage’s “The First Wall Street Bomb” (“First” par. 2). Despite the widespread destruction, the authorities could never determine who had attacked Wall Street.
James Barron’s “After 1920 Blast, The Opposite Of 'Never Forget'; No Memorials on Wall St. For Attack That Killed 30” explains that police only had theories that pandered to the time’s nationalist attitudes, blaming Italian anarchists. One anarchist, Mario Buda, supposedly staged the attack as revenge for what he deemed to be an unjust court decision. Earlier that year, the courts had indicted two Italian anarchists, Niccolo Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti earlier, for their political affiliations, rather than concrete evidence. The pair had been believed to be the perpetrators of a shoe robbery incident that killed two civilians. Emerging months after the attack, the theory could never be verified with the corrosion of the physical evidence (par. 12-14). According to J. Michael Martinez’s Terrorist Attacks on American Soil: From the Civil War Era to the Present, others had ignored the attack altogether, believing that Wall Street was merely the site of the transportation of dynamite gone wrong
(125). This uncertainty of the source triggered the event to only have a muted effect on American culture. “First” continues that, instead of uniting against an enemy, the lack of one caused civilians to focus their energies in rallying for Wall Street. Merely a day after the bombing occurred, the New York Stock Exchange had reopened to an enthusiastic public and rising stock prices, almost as if no disaster had ever disrupted the area (par. 10-12). According to Evan Andrews’s “The Mysterious Wall Street Bombing, 95 Years Ago,” this prosperity had eclipsed the event’s magnitude in history for generations to come. The attack had been the first on American soil whose sole objective was terror (par. 8). “First” writes that a few civilians, however, did recognize the magnitude at the time but succumbed to fear. They started to advocate for immigration restrictions against Italians, Jews, and Russians, whom they thought conspired the attack. This discrimination further fueled the country’s xenophobia, an effect that still lingers over the fear that foreigners could be potential terrorists (par. 9). The bombing, though relatively obscure, ultimately epitomized the 1920s’ discriminatory underbelly.
Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of murdering the paymaster and a guard at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory in South Braintree, Massachusetts, on April 15, 1920. They were also accused of taking two payroll boxes which contained $15,776.51.
Before the events of 9/11 the US had been attacked before and we were aware of possible threats. However, these threats, specifically those of Al-Qaeda were not taken seriously by American foreign policy makers or regular Americans alike, so on September 11, 2001 Americans were truly shocked by the scale of devastation and loss of life that occurred. The effect these attacks had on America was incredible. In the years that followed Americans became fearful and discriminatory of religious groups; the government created the Department of Homeland Security and enacted stricter search and seizure laws, and America’s foreign policy became defined by unilateral decision making and preemptive war.
The Oklahoma City Bombing was a domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 19, 1995. It was lead by Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War. The explosive was a homemade bomb which was built by McVeigh and the help of Terry Nichols; the bomb consisted of a deadly cocktail and was put inside a rented Ryder truck in front of the Murrah Federal Building . McVeigh then proceeded out of the truck and headed towards his getaway car a few blocks away. He then started the detonation of the timed bomb at exactly 9:02 A.M. then the bomb exploded. To the people of Oklahoma it was a traumatizing moment for all, many lost families, dozens of cars were incinerated and more than 300 buildings were destroyed and caused about $652 million worth of damages. The “OKBOMB” affected hundreds of people; it killed “168 people -- 19 of them children -- and injured more than 500.” (CNN.com) Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over 80 miles north of Oklahoma City by a state trooper who noticed McVeigh's missing license plate. He was later arrested for having a concealed weapon. From there, a investigation was held and agents found traces of chemicals on McVeigh’s clothing similar to the ones from the bomb. They learned that McVeigh’s plan was due to the anger over the events at Waco Siege two years earlier. The bombing investigation was one of the most exhaustive in FBI history; “the Bureau had conducted more than 28,000 interviews, followed some 43,000 investigative leads, amassed three-and-a-half tons of evidence, and reviewed nearly a billion pieces of information.” (FBI.com) Oklahoma City bombing was “considered the worst and the largest terrorist act eve...
There was no one who could place them at the crime and both men had solid alibis and witnesses who testified on their behalf. After going to a garage to claim a car that was connected to the crime Sacco and Vanzetti were charged with the crime. Both men were carrying guns and neither had a criminal past. The two men were found guilty on July 14, 1921 anarchist and radicals moved into action claiming the trail was unfair and a mockery of justice (The Passion of ,1086). There was no money linking the two men to the crime There was no physical evidence to link Vanzetti to the crime. The Sacco and Vanzetti case was an unfair trial leading to the two men to be executed.
September 11, 2001 was a day that Americans and the world for that matter will not soon forget. When two planes went into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and two others went into the Pentagon and a small town in Pennsylvania, the world was rocked. Everyone in the United States felt very vulnerable and unsafe from attacks that might follow. As a result, confidence in the CIA, FBI, and the airlines were shaken. People were scared to fly after what had happened.
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
On September 11, 2001, America was forever changed. On this day, America faced the biggest terrorist attack that had ever been carried out; thousands of people lost their lives that day. Throughout the sadness and mourning of this terrible event, George Bush addressed the nation with one of the most memorable speeches. When President Bush addressed the nation, he stated that America is strong and they could try to bring us down, but we will not be broken.This speech gave hope to many Americans and helped them remember to stay strong. This day will be forever remembered for all the souls that lost their lives and the brave people who threatened their own life to save others.
When a giant explosion ripped through Alfred P. Murrah federal building April 19,1995, killing 168 and wounding hundreds, the United States of America jumped to a conclusion we would all learn to regret. The initial response to the devastation was all focused of middle-eastern terrorists. “The West is under attack,”(Posner 89), reported the USA Today. Every news and television station had the latest expert on the middle east telling the nation that we were victims of jihad, holy war. It only took a few quick days to realize that we were wrong and the problem, the terrorist, was strictly domestic. But it was too late. The damage had been done. Because America jumped to conclusions then, America was later blind to see the impending attack of 9/11. The responsibility, however, is not to be placed on the America people. The public couldn’t stand to hear any talk of terrorism, so in turn the White House irresponsibly took a similar attitude. They concentrated on high public opinion and issues that were relevant to Americans everyday. The government didn’t want to deal with another public blunder like the one in Oklahoma City. A former FBI analyst recalls, “when I went to headquarters (Washington, D.C.) later that year no one was interested in hearing anything about Arab money connections unless it had something to do with funding domestic groups. We stumbled so badly on pinpointing the Middle East right off the bat on the Murrah bombing. No one wanted to get caught like that again,”(Posner 90). The result saw changes in the counter terrorism efforts; under funding, under manning, poor cooperation between agencies, half-hearted and incompetent agency official appointees and the list goes on. All of these decisions, made at the hands of the faint-hearted, opened the doors wide open, and practically begged for a terrorist attack. So who’s fault is it? The public’s for being
In his book Death in the Haymarket, James Green recounted the American labor movement in the late 1800s. Green’s main focus in his book was the bombing of Haymarket, which occurred on May 4 of 1886. Beginning as a peaceful protest promoting the eight-hour work day, a bomb was thrown causing devastating consequences. The Haymarket bombing almost ended the labor movement altogether, with unjustified trials and fear implemented amongst all Americans. However, it is important to know that the Haymarket bombing is not just an isolated event. From starting out with wage cuts, to people going on strike, labor unions starting up, to almost losing the labor movement altogether. The Haymarket bombing
September 11, 2001 was one of the most devastating and horrific events in the United States history. Americans feeling of a secure nation had been broken. Over 3,000 people and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed during the attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon; in New York City and Washington, D.C. Today the term terrorism is known as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (Birzer, Roberson). This term was clearly not defined for the United States for we had partial knowledge and experience with terrorist attacks; until the day September 11, 2001. At that time, President George W. Bush, stated over a televised address from the Oval Office, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” President Bush stood by this statement for the United States was about to retaliate and change the face of the criminal justice system for terrorism.
September 11, 2001 was one of the scariest days for the United States of America. Many Americans felt unsafe in their own homes because this was the first ever terrorist attack on American soil. On this day many brave Americans stepped up to do their part on helping the wounded as much as they could. Many police officers and firefighters lost their lives going into the burning towers to try and save as many people as possible. Many nurses and doctors were also on site and working long hours in hope to save everyone who was able to make it out safely. Since that fateful day American’s still take a moment to remember that day that changed our country and took many American lives. That day might have been one of the scariest days in our history, but it has changed America to become safer. The government now has technology that is unbelievable. As long as the government has probable cause they can listen in to any ones phone calls, view their phone logs, text messages, and emails. They have also tightened security at all airports and also train stations and large cities. New York City has made the most changes since 9/11. They have a couple thousand undercover police officers, many that are bi-lingual, cameras around the whole city, security checkpoints, radiation detectors, and even a small military (Kramer). NYC has many military tactics set up to keep the city safe and its millions of inhibitors and many daily visitors. NYC is one of the most populated city, and now the most protected city in America.
Every incidence, of whatever kind, that occurs to a person, a corporation or a country leaves an impact of its kind. The most important thing is the lessons, which the stakeholders concerned learn from that incidence. Bombing incidences are often a result of terror attacks and the lessons or the action plans that ensue from any successful terror attack are not something intelligent minds can underscore (Knowles, 2003). One of the major targets in these bombings and occurrences of a similar kind is the business community. Critical analysis of explosions and bombings is very important to both the security agencies and the businesses. This is primarily because businesses thrive only in secure environment and therefore safety is a priority for any business setting. The World Trade Center (WTC) explosion in 1993 unearthed critical safety issues which any business development plan must observe. However, before exploring these issues, it is important to have a recap of how the incident was.
On September 11, 2001 terrorists crashed two American airline airplanes into Twin Towers, killing thousands of people. It was the worst terrorist attack in American history and it showed us that we are not protected by Atlantic and Pacific. It showed us that we could be attacked by anyone at anytime. It showed us that if we will be attacked again that we can only depend on each other and not on other nations to help us. The 9/11 changed people forever, some lost family members or friends, others lost their jobs even so called “American Dream.”
September 11, 2001 marked one of the most tragic events in United States history. As a way to assure the safety and wellbeing of U.S. citizens shortly after being attacked by al-Qaeda, President Bush stated, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts may shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve”. Although President Bush was seen a source of security during a time of need, many citizens felt that his words were not genuine and part of a dramatic story the government wanted its people to believe. Despite the side taken, both perspectives of the argument can agree that the U.S. was attacked by a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth into a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the terrorist to try and regain control of the plane. This is the story the government wants its people to believe. However, the truths about the attacks on 9/11 are much more frightening. On September 11th, 2001, the United States government betrayed its citizens by allowing the destructive attacks on the Twin Towers, WTC-7, the Pentagon, and Shanksville.
"1993 World Trade Center bombing." Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse University Press, 2005. 1723. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.