Overview

It has been over 10 years since the events of September 11, which forever changed the United States, and in many ways, the world. This historic event has been termed the most significant disaster since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the first disaster that affected the United States on a national scale. 

It is important to note that prior to 9/11, both domestic and international terrorists were striking Americans, American facilities, and American interests both within and outside of our borders–though only fleeting interest was garnered in the aftermath of these events. Support for counter-terrorism focused efforts was rather weak and did not secure enough public attention to move towards a more aggressive defense of the homeland. Additionally, our federal government and its organizational structure to combat these threats were bifurcated and dysfunctional. Only the spectacular nature of the September 11 terrorist attacks was significant enough to boost the issue of terrorism to primary standing in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.

In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to identify and discuss what you believe to be the events/documents forming the pre-9/11 strategic setting, both domestic and internationally. In addition, this lesson will provide a historical perspective on the threat of terrorism and will begin our studies with detailed descriptions of the extraordinary actions that were taken by the United States in reaction to September 11.

The definition of “homeland security” is an evolving one, changing throughout the years reflecting the increasing and differing challenges facing our country. Prior to 9/11, the federal government had a very broad mandate, attempting to prevent terrorist attacks, reduce our vulnerabilities, minimize the damage, and to our best abilities recover from attacks against the homeland. As you will see, this basic foundation has expanded to include a shared common interest.

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to do the following:

• Identify and describe world events that have altered the "concept" of homeland security.
• Understand and analyze the international and domestic pre-9/11 strategic setting.
• Learn and comprehend actions taken by the United States and specifically the federal government to respond to and limit the threat of terrorism prior to the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Lesson Readings & Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Course Schedule.