14.2: George W. Bush: Address to the Nation on September 11, 2001

A Guided Journey through Key Documents, 1865-present
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14.2 George W. Bush: Address to the Nation on September 11, 2001
Historical Context
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Abstract

On the evening of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush spoke to the nation about the terrorist attacks perpetrated on the nation earlier that day by members of al-Qaeda, under the direction of its leader, the Saudi-born Osama bin Laden. The 9/11 attacks fundamentally reshaped American attitudes, perceptions, and foreign policy in the twenty-srst century. Terrorist attacks had occurred in the past, but the magnitude of the 9/11 attacks and the methods used led Americans to view terrorism through a new lens. On this day, nearly 3,000 people were killed, most of whom were civilians. On the day of the attacks, when Bush gave the following speech, no one knew how terrorism would come to desne the early decades of the new century.

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