As we recently passed the anniversary of September 11th, 2001, Covenant held a little memorial for the 9/11 attacks in NY, PA, and Washington D.C. As the day passed, I began to think through the many years we have commemorated it and all that we have done in school over the years to recognize what happened.
When I was younger I always had the question: Why is it important to commemorate it every single year? There is no doubt that this was a sad event; great bravery and sacrifice were shown by many that day, but there are many events in our history and the world that can claim those characteristics. There are many events in our history which can be counted just as tragic (e.g. the Holocaust, the near eradication of the Native American population due to European exploration, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory fire, the anniversary of the Dred Scott case or murdering of Emmitt Till, Hurricane Katrina, etc.).
Growing up, it always seemed so strange to me that people so vividly remember where they were and what they were doing when the twin towers were attacked. Yet terrorist attacks occur regularly across the world. Why is this event so much more significant than the rest?
Because 9/11 changed everything.
September 11th, 2001 transformed our society and changed the mindsets of Americans. I have no memory of a time when airport security was not the way it is now—or even security in many other places for that matter. Now you have to get to the airport at least 2 hours before a flight just to get through security; clear purses and bags are required at almost all games, concerts, or other major events; security and metal detectors are at almost any event with a fair amount of people. The USA Patriot Act that came out of the attack greatly ramped up border security, created even more offices focused on the security of the nation, and surveillance from the government skyrocketed. Gas prices shot up and pushed the United States into fracking and still have not quite recovered to pre-2001 prices. It transformed our society to target and be fearful of those from the Middle East.
Before 9/11, the United States felt invincible. Yes, the United States has lost in battles and wars, but that all happened on the terrain of other countries. September 11, 2001 was life-changing since the United States had not been continentally attacked since the War of 1812. I am excluding Pearl Harbor since Hawaii was only a territory at the time and it is not continental. As the first attack was broadcast, everyone thought it was only an accident. But as Americans were watching the first Twin Tower burn, they observed with their own eyes on TV a second plane crash into the other. It was then that it hit each person--this was no accident, but a direct attack.
The attack not only led the United States into multiple major wars, but prompted the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. It changed people's mindsets from feeling secure to feeling in peril and made Americans question their own safety in the United States. It even felt like a direct jab at the United States economy, with one attack taking place at the World Trade Center—a bustling, high-functioning metropolitan area where the New York Stock Exchange is located.
All of these ideas added up to what felt like a direct attack not only on Americans but also American society. People vividly remember what they were doing on 9/11 because it was a traumatic, history-making event—not just for themselves, but for the country.