Perspectives: Post-9/11 Unity, 20 Years Later
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Saturday will be the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which left almost 3,000 dead and served as the inciting moment for the War on Terror. Americans and American allies came together in the aftermath; according to Pew Research Center, 79% of American adults said they displayed an American flag, trust in government rose to 60%, and then-President George W. Bush’s approval rating spiked to 86%, including 96% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats. While comparable levels of unity were reached prior to 2001—former President George H. W. Bush’s approval rating peaked at 89% in 1991—Americans today are sharply divided.
Commentators from across the political spectrum wrote articles on 9/11 in the week leading up to the anniversary. Most voices across the spectrum lamented America’s current divisions. Some voices noted that the death toll from COVID-19 matched 9/11’s death toll every two days. Voices in right-rated outlets were more likely to note the timing of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan. Voices in left-rated outlets were more likely to highlight the experiences of Muslim Americans.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Our Post-9/11 BondMoments of national unity are as fleeting as they are rare. September 12, 2001, was one of them.
It’s become something of a political cliché to call for a return to that post-9/11 mindset. How much it has eroded, from then to now, illustrates why we hear this. Pew dug up an interesting figure — after the launch of airstrikes in Afghanistan, 79 percent of adults “said they had displayed an American flag.” Briefly, at a level that was unprecedented and never again matched in the modern age, a broad majority expressed...
From the Left
9/11 anniversary: The attacks brought us together 20 years ago. Nothing can unite us now.The 2000 election was so close that it came down to 537 votes in one state, so close that the Supreme Court ended up deciding who would be the next president – five weeks after the election.
Was America divided? We sure thought so back then. I spent most of the next year traveling between Montclair, New Jersey, and Franklin, Tennessee, two towns that voted heavily for Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush, respectively, and wrote a series for USA TODAY called One Nation, Divided.
My final day of research for the entire project was...
From the Center
After 9/11, We Found Unity. We Must Reclaim That in a Post-January 6 AmericaTwenty years ago, we witnessed a defining moment in American and world history. The terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 changed a generation and shaped our world like few events ever have, or ever will. With the passing of time, a new generation forges ahead and creates their own future while we commemorate the victims and struggle with the lessons of our past. The world has now watched as the war which the attacks started has come to an ignominious end. And those of us who lived through that day...
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