Terrorism and America: From the Anarchists to 9/11 and Beyond

Terrorism has been part of American life since its founding, but early terrorist activity increased dramatically from 1865, peaking from 1910-1920. Terrorist threats rose again from the 1950s, reaching a peak in the 1970s, when Americans faced almost daily terrorist attacks. In the 1960s, Americans faced increasing external threats to their security, as hijackings, kidnapping and bomb attacks became increasingly commonplace. From the 1970s, America increasingly linked terrorism to "rogue states" such as North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Cuba. By the 1990s, terrorist incidents against America had dramatically reduced. However, attacks that did take place were increasingly deadly, as seen with the World Trade Center bombing (1993), the Oklahoma Bombing (1995) and the attack on the USS Cole (2000). As such, 9/11 is placed into historical context, at the same time its impact on America is addressed. Why are Americans unable to access the torch of the Statue of Liberty? Not one citizen the author has asked has known the answer. Access to the torch was prevented as a result of a massive terrorist bomb in 1916. The attack was traced to Germany, anxious to keep the U.S. out of World War I--and (West) Germany paid reparations to the U.S. for this attack until 1979.