The Fight for Freedom

On the morning of September 11, 2001 time stood still. What had begun as a normal day in the eastern United States quickly changed as barbaric acts of terror were carried out on America and all her people. These attacks have single handedly been said to be the biggest attacks on America in the 21st century. These horrendous terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were not only an attack on one of the world's most significant symbols of world commerce, but also an attack on the freedom of the American people.

After the attacks on the World Trade Center the economy of the United States suffered immeasurably. The stock market experienced the biggest decline since the great depression. Stocks in general lost a great deal of their value. Airlines, the direct economic victims of the September 11th attacks, would teeter on the verge of bankruptcy. The immediate effects were obvious. For instance, the airspace in the United States was completely shut down for several days. Americans were afraid, afraid to board an airliner when flights ultimately resumed for fear of their life. This made for a significant decrease in air travel, which crippled many airlines, many of whom to this day have not fully recovered. These terror attacks had obvious and far reaching effects on the economy but they also affected something equally important, the American Psyche.

Prior to September 11th Americans in general lived in a world sheltered from the terrorism that affects many counties abroad. After that date, daily life changed. Immediately following the terrorist attacks the American people were astonished, even in a state of shock. And for some people there was even a tremendous sense of fear. Freedom had been the one attribute that distinguished the United States from any other country. The well-known freedom of the United States, on that day, was overrun by terrorists and the United States was no longer a totally free nation. The sense of fear that had overtaken the country prevented some people from being free. People began to sacrifice freedoms for safety. No longer could anyone just travel. Airports today continue to demonstrate the long lasting changes in freedom. People are limited in access to the terminal and searches are performed on almost anything and everything. However and just as important if not more so, fear was not the only factor that came out of the attacks. Patriotism, respect, sympathy, and empathy were all outcomes of the terrorist attacks. As so expressively said by a class of first graders in their book titled September 12th: We Knew Everything Would be Alright, "Red, white and blue suddenly became everyone's favorite colors (p 22)." Everywhere you looked was red, white, and blue. Due to the attacks the United States people united with each other regardless of the differences. Firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel were highly praised and respected for sacrificing their lives to help the victims of the terrorist attacks. These events empowered America. Shortly after the attacks the United States armed with a new sense of purpose and volunteerism sent out its troops in hopes of finding these terrorists and