The Decade From Hell: Terrorism, War, and Recession in the 2000s At the end of 2009, Time Magazine controversially named 2000-2009 “The Decade from Hell,” citing numerous factors which had contributed to the breakdown of the idyllic view that Americans and many others had previously held of the United States (TIME, 2009). Factors cited included the contested results of the 2000 election, the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on the twin towers, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the financial crisis, Detroit’s collapse, and revelations about human rights violations at the military base in Guantanamo Bay. It wasn’t all negative, however. Technology continued to advance rapidly, with smartphones gaining popularity and social media becoming prevalent in the mid-2000s (Dreier, 2015). In 2008, the U.S. made a huge step forward for civil rights, with Barack Obama becoming the first African-American president (and the first president with Muslim roots). Closing out the decade, “The Miracle on The Hudson” brought a lot of people new hope when a pilot managed to save every passenger on US Airways Flight 1549, which seemed doomed following a double engine failure. The political atmosphere in the early 2000’s was significantly different than that of the Obama years, and thus it is impossible to choose a song that accurately represents the entire decade. The Bush era was marked by a notable anti-war sentiment, which is voiced in Eminem’s 2004 single “Mosh” (Plumer,
September 11, 2001, was marked as one of the worst acts of terrorism against the United States since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. President Bush’s platform of not interfering
American history has had many defining moments over the last five decades which has helped America to develop to the way it is today. Each decade holding many life changing events and discoveries in them it would take a long time to cover each and every one of these so I have chosen a major event that I find to be of great worth to Americans today. We can all learn from the past events and work together to make American a safer and better place to live, and one way to do so is by learning from the past. Starting in the 1950’s we will discuss the most life changing and breath taking moments from each decade that this great county has seen through the 90’s and discover why they are all of significant value to the America we all live in
September 11, 2001 is a day that shook the United States to its core. Millions of Americans felt the pain, the loss, and the anger that came with the attack on their nation. It was a day of mourning, and when it comes to days of mourning it is difficult putting one’s pain into words. However, Leonard Pitts Jr. was able to move past the emotion. He put into his words, not only his own feelings, but the feelings of an entire nation. Pitts conveys the emotion felt after the terror attacks in his essay “Sept. 12, 2001: We’ll go forward from this moment” through his mournful, angry, and righteous tone.
Tuesday morning, September 11 of 2001, referred to as a day to remember, the twin towers were attacked by terrorists in a hijacked plane. Thousands of lives were lost and it was a day that brought great sorrow to America. George W. Bush, the president at that time, addressed his speech to America as a nation, giving them hope that the events that took place earlier that day would not shake them but that they would come back stronger. In this essay I will evaluate Bush’s formal 9/11 Address to the Nation and discuss the speaker’s appeals to pathos, logos and ethos to convey his message that America can stand tall as one.
The events that took place in America on September 11, 2001 will have a lasting wound on this country forever. President George W. Bush’s speech, “A Great People Has Been Moved to Defend a Great Nation”, gave America something to have hope in. Bush was a republican president and was the 43rd of the United States and was a very passionate man. Although Bush had to make some tough decisions that very day, he was a president that made a lasting impact on America. Throughout Bush’s speech, he effectively covered pathos, ethos, and logos.
One of the most detrimental and traumatic events of United States history involves the terrorist attacks on the day of September 11th, in 2001. September 11th is a day countless Americans will never forget. Because our nation encountered such a horrific attack, it was up to our president during the time, President George W. Bush, to address the country. Many Americans suffered loss and fear; therefore, former President George Bush’s goal was to heal and comfort the nation by persuading them to see the light within the darkness. Bush’s speech was a success because he showed America’s togetherness and solidarity by creating an emotional connection to the audience; moreover, by responding appropriately to the attacks, he presented himself with a leadership and role no one else could take.
Events of the new millennium irreversibly changed the direction of American foreign policy. During the 1990s, Anti-American sentiments burgeoned in the Middle East within growing radical Islamist groups that perceived America as empirical and expansionist after the prolonged US occupation of Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia after the end of the first gulf war. The September 11th attack on the Twin Towers, once representative of American military and economic hegemony, symbolized to many a political failure that would change the focus of American national interest for years to come.
The 1980’s was a time of prosperity throughout America. From the Calendar that went from January 1st to December 31st to the increase of jobs. This decade was full of good changes socially, economically, and politically.
Right from the beginning of the chapter, Welch comments, “to say that America changed on September 11 is more than a cliché; the nation’s identity as a target – and victim – resonates both symbolically and substantively” (4). When you turn on the news, it is common to hear about so many countries that experience widespread violence and attacks on a near daily basis, but Americans felt removed from that since they did not have to endure
The OP-ED piece written by Peggy Noonan on Nov. 19th, 2015 attacks the reader on several different fronts, but allows the same reader to empathize with individual aspects of the piece, or all of them. Feelings take center stage at first and Ms. Noonan challenges how the reader feels by deploying evidence; a synopsis of terror throughout the last two decades. Relentlessly she shows how just how permeable humanity is to intimidate by terror, along with the failures of President Barack Obama. Obama’s approach is belittled, even claiming the President is “barely relevant” and she does not consider his viewpoint. On a glance, she opens with a personal experience and then depicts several terrorist events, while tying them to the failures of Obama, and finishes with an example of greatness and questions who should steward this country going forward.
In an editorial in the Miami Herald, Leonard Pitts vocalizes that America, despite its ludicrous behavior, still has the aptitude for change through highlighting the woes that plague the once united nation and through inciting hope with his consequent words. Within Pitts rather frank expressions, one can determine just “how far down the rabbit hole” America and its marred character has fallen. A country once renown for its overwhelming acceptance has become a perpetrator of insults vulgar enough to induce controversy, Hilary Clinton being just “that bitch” as if she is merely a mean girl in high school, not a top-tier politician. Pitts even casually broods “about secession”—an idea entirely alien to what the somewhat “United” States prevails
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had a major impact on America. In a matter of moments, what began as a routine Tuesday morning was filled with “scenes of destruction and utter devastation” (Thompson, 2001, para. 1). “The official death toll from the World Trade Center attack currently stands at 2,753 people, including 343 members of the Fire Department” (Dunlap, 2016, para. 10). In the aftermath, life was put on hold. The events that occurred in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon that day affected life across the whole country, including sporting events. Horse racing, golf, soccer, hockey, baseball, football games, and more were all at a standstill, and were either being cancelled or postponed (Litsky, 2001). Hunter Thompson, a columnist for ESPN stated, “Football suddenly seemed irrelevant” (2001, para. 1). That day in United States history left mental, emotional, and physical scars across the nation.
The End of America, published in 2007 during the Bush Administration, is a non-fiction call-to-action for all American citizens to restore their constitutional values and stand up against an increasingly oppressive government rule. The book argues that the events and policies made during the early 2000’s closely parallel the careful steps taken by previous dictatorships before and through which they come into power. These steps are always exactly the same, occur in the same order, and are done in completely legally right under the noses of unaware citizenries.
September 11, 2000. Boom. Broken. These two words alone are enough to describe the date that is now 16 years behind us. To many, the day still feels like yesterday, and always will. Leonard Pitts is likely one of these people. Sitting behind a clunky desktop with trembling hands, a cluttered brain, and a shaken heart, the man was responsible for one task on the mere day after America was altered forever: finding the right words to say. All he had was his own words to give Americans what they needed at this very moment: unity. To do this, he directs his piece “We’ll Go Forward from This Moment” towards the ones that gave America this desperate need. However, through his acknowledgement of what happened and determination
From the PATRIOT Act of 2001 that was signed into law by the formal President George W. Bush, to the flags that fluttered in the front yard of every American’s house, the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 brought the whole nation together for a single goal of fighting back terrorism and getting through the test that America was put to. Everybody’s loyalty is getting tested since then towards the United States, and one cannot put aside Hollywood. Its reaction through the movies contributed the nation by bringing different ethnic, racial, social, and economical groups, which America was divided into, together and showing loyalty and patriotism to one’s nation. Hollywood movies in the post 9/11 era conveyed the message that “it’s time to