George W. Bush Responds to the Terrorist Attacks

Throughout most of American history, the United States has been relatively free of direct military attack or acts of terrorism. The country benefited from this isolation. At the end of the 20th century, the United States was the wealthiest, strongest, and most powerful nation on earth. But some had come to loath the Untied States and its global influence. One such individual was Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi Arabian who had embraced a fundamentalist, anti-modern view of Islam. Enraged at the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War, America’s support of Israel, and the spread of American popular culture throughout the world, bin Laden formed an extremist Islamic organization called al-Qaeda (Arabic for “The Base”) to recruit, train, and finance fighters who wanted to strike at the United States. On September 11, 2001, nineteen al-Qaeda members hijacked four passenger jets and used them as suicide missiles in a coordinated attack on the United States. Two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; within two hours, both 110-story buildings collapsed. The third plane smashed into the Pentagon. A fourth plane, headed for Washington, D.C., crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers rushed the cockpit. Speaking to the nation a short time after the terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush offered the response that you can watch below.

After watching the address to Congress, I would like you to think about and discuss the following: Why does Bush give the Taliban an ultimatum? In what ways does Bush commit the United States to a war on terrorism? To what effect? In what ways does America change after these attacks? Compare and contrast President Bush’s remarks with Woodrow Wilson's Declaration of War Message and with Roosevelt's Declaration of War Message. How are they similar? Different? Your thoughts…