How did the September 11 attacks change American foreign and domestic policy?
Analyze the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the War on Terror, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the USA PATRIOT Act, and the debate over security and civil liberties (NGSSS SS.912.A.7, Reporting Category 3).
An EOC-level answer on September 11 and the War on Terror for the Florida US History exam: the 2001 terrorist attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security and the USA PATRIOT Act, and the debate between national security and civil liberties, with worked stimulus questions.
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What this topic is asking
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, opened a new era in American foreign and domestic policy. The NGSSS benchmark SS.912.A.7 wants you to analyze the September 11 attacks and the War on Terror: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, new security measures such as the Department of Homeland Security and the USA PATRIOT Act, and the debate over security and civil liberties. This is a Reporting Category 3 topic that connects to the Constitution (SS.912.A.2) and is tested with a quotation, a timeline, or a question about the response to the attacks.
The September 11 attacks
The War on Terror
The response unfolded on several fronts:
- The United States invaded Afghanistan (2001) to destroy al-Qaeda and overthrow the Taliban regime that had harbored it.
- In 2003, the United States invaded Iraq and removed dictator Saddam Hussein, a war that proved long and controversial.
Security at home
Security versus civil liberties
This debate echoes earlier moments when fear led to limits on rights, the Espionage and Sedition Acts of World War I and the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II, which the EOC may ask you to compare (connecting to SS.912.A.2).
Try this
Q1. Describe the US response to the September 11 attacks. [2]
- Cue. A War on Terror, including the invasion of Afghanistan against al-Qaeda and the Taliban (and later Iraq), plus new domestic security such as the Department of Homeland Security and the USA PATRIOT Act.
Q2. Explain why the USA PATRIOT Act was controversial. [2]
- Cue. It expanded the government's power to monitor and investigate suspected terrorists, raising concerns that it threatened civil liberties and privacy, the classic security-versus-rights tension.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of FLDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
FL EOC (US History, style)1 marksIn direct response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the United StatesShow worked answer →
A single-select item (Reporting Category 3, SS.912.A.7).
Correct answer: launched a War on Terror, including the war in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and created new security measures at home.
Markers reward connecting September 11 to the War on Terror and the war in Afghanistan. Distractors saying the United States ended the Cold War, or did nothing, misplace the response in time or understate it.
FL EOC (US History, style)1 marksThe USA PATRIOT Act, passed after September 11, sparked debate because itShow worked answer →
A single-select item (Reporting Category 3, SS.912.A.7 with SS.912.A.2).
Correct answer: expanded the government's power to monitor and investigate suspected terrorists, raising concerns about civil liberties and privacy.
Markers reward connecting the PATRIOT Act to the tension between security and civil liberties. Distractors saying it reduced government power, or concerned the economy, misstate the law and the debate it produced.
Related dot points
- Analyze the impact of new technology and globalization, including the computer and internet revolution, the shift to a service and information economy, free trade agreements such as NAFTA, and immigration in the modern era (NGSSS SS.912.A.7, Reporting Category 3).
An EOC-level answer on technology and globalization for the Florida US History exam: the computer and internet revolution, the shift from manufacturing to a service and information economy, globalization and free trade (NAFTA), the effects on American workers, and modern immigration, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze recent developments in the contemporary United States, including political milestones, the Great Recession of 2008, expanding rights, and ongoing debates over the role of government (NGSSS SS.912.A.7, Reporting Category 3).
An EOC-level answer on the contemporary United States for the Florida US History exam: recent political milestones, the Great Recession of 2008, the continuing expansion of rights, ongoing debates over the role of government, and how today connects to the longer story of US history, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze the end of the Cold War, including Reagan's military buildup and diplomacy, Gorbachev's reforms, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the Soviet Union (NGSSS SS.912.A.7, Reporting Category 3).
An EOC-level answer on the end of the Cold War for the Florida US History exam: Reagan's military buildup and diplomacy, Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze the rise of modern conservatism, the election of Ronald Reagan, Reaganomics and supply-side economics, and the conservative response to the Great Society (NGSSS SS.912.A.7, Reporting Category 3).
An EOC-level answer on the conservative resurgence for the Florida US History exam: the rise of modern conservatism, the election of Ronald Reagan, Reaganomics and supply-side economics, the response to the Great Society, and the changing political landscape, with worked stimulus questions.
- Analyze the impact of World War I on the home front, including war mobilization, propaganda, the Espionage and Sedition Acts and limits on civil liberties, Schenck v. United States, and the Great Migration (NGSSS SS.912.A.5, Reporting Category 1).
An EOC-level answer on the World War I home front for the Florida US History exam: war mobilization and propaganda, the Espionage and Sedition Acts and limits on civil liberties, the Schenck v. United States decision, women in the workforce, and the Great Migration, with worked stimulus questions.
Sources & how we know this
- US History End-of-Course Assessment Test Item Specifications — Florida Department of Education (2013)
- US History Reporting Category Statements — Florida Department of Education (2013)