Sept. 11, 2001, was a day that Americans will forever remember for its great tragedy, and a day that several OH teachers kept in mind for lessons and connections.
“I think I like to focus not [just] on the bad of the day, because everybody talks about the terrible things that happen,” OH Social Studies teacher Aaron Henricks said. “I like to also focus in on all of the heroism that so many people showed…I’ve talked more about like the firefighters: 343 firefighters died that day.”
Sept. 11 was the date of a deadly terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks by 19 hijackers from the group al-Qaeda.
The impacts of 9/11 were critical to everyone in America, close to the attacks or not. All around the United States was left in a state of shock and fear. A state of silence fell upon the United States.
“Seeing the sky completely clear, that was such a weird moment,” Henricks said. “You know, seeing my neighbor… this guy who I viewed as like tough and like he just looks broken… he was out on his front porch just kind of staring off in the distance because like, he knew people that died in New York.”
Henricks uses this information in his social studies lesson, focusing not only on the facts, but the impacts of these events. Aside from the immediate impact in 2001, there are also lingering impacts that still affect the United States to this day. Airport security routines completely changed after 9/11.
“I remember the airports really cracking down,” said OH Social Studies Department Chair Jennifer Keto, indicating the changes that happened during the attacks, the echo of which flyers still see today at airports with heightened security.
Due to the fear inflicted in everyone, safety became a top priority. In all of the schools students and facility members lives they now have to live with the consequences of that day. Such a simple moment of sending off a loved one at the airport is now taken away from people.
“It used to be a big deal when you took someone to the airport to go and see them off at the gate,” said OH Social Studies teacher Greg Verdino. “You give them a hug as they get on the jet way that takes them to the plane so now picking up someone at the airport is fundamentally different.”
After 9/11, people couldn’t walk their family/friends to the gate unless they had a ticket because airports now have TSA which is the Transportation Security Administration. This was a direct response after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Aircrafts were also completely redesigned to prevent unauthorized entry and more security.
New laws were made to expand national security, surveillance, border control, and government coordination in order to prevent future terrorist attacks. According to the United States Department of Justice Archives, the laws that were made were USA PATRIOT Act (2001), Aviation and Transportation Security Act (2001), Homeland Security Act (2002), Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act (2002), FISA Amendments Act (2008), and lastly USA FREEDOM Act (2015).
Some economic impacts included stock market closures; The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ closed for a total of four trading days and this was the longest closure since 1933.
The immediate economic shock caused hundreds and thousands of people to lose their jobs heavily impacting tourism, hospitality, and airline industries. Verdino said, “We experienced an economic downturn.”
However, not all results were completely negative. After this attack, Keto said, “While it was a tragic event, it was an event that brought our country together, and we were unified no matter what.”
Even though the day is remembered for its tragedy, it should also be remembered for the good.
Even today the people of America still deal with the effects of the attacks. People can no longer get into airports to send off their families. The entire transportation system has a lot more security measures now.
It sparked many anti-terrorism groups that work to prevent any events like that from happening again. Ever heard of “if you see something, say something”? That common slogan we now hear everywhere, including in the OH building, was sparked from these attacks as an attempt to counter terrorism.
Henricks recalled how many people showed heroism that day. He said, “That idea of of sacrifice, you know, making the dangerous choice to help somebody else because it’s the right thing to do” was a memorable part of the events for him.
So many people died while trying to save co-workers or help evacuate the building. A total of 343 firefighters died helping people during the attacks on the world trade center. These people should be remembered for their courage and selflessness that day.
“Yes, it was their job to help people, but like, they made the choice to work as hard as they humanly could that day. not knowing exactly what they were going to be with, but like knowing it was going to be a really bad situation,” Henricks said.
