The History of Terrorism in the United States - Research Paper Example

The History of Terrorism in the United States Introduction: Terrorism in the United States The history of terrorism in United States is the sequence of events that occurred in different time periods and have been instrumented by individuals or entities for a cause which could be said as right or wrong. The historians describe the acts of terrorism in the United States as activities against the good interests of mankind while the terrorists are rarely in favor of this statement. The terrorists consider themselves as the freedom fighters for a good cause. Earlier, the acts of terrorism were carried out in the United States in order to achieve freedom against slavery imposed by the state forces. Several organizations like the Earth Liberation Front, Al-Qaida, etc launched several attacks over the United States in the past years. The nature of terrorism in the United States evolved over the years. The motives of terrorism have also transformed over the years from the causes of liberation to mass devastation (Piszkiewicz, 2003). The effects of terrorism have also transformed into evil for the masses. The latest act of terrorism is the desolation of The World Trade Centre. The range of terrorist attacks in the United States has resulted into liberation of slavery, assassination of the country’s president to devastation of the public. Earlier the concept of terrorism in the United States was considered as armed activities against the state forces in order to support the causes of liberation. The activities over the period of history have changed into bombings, kidnappings and assassinations of the state personnel and the public. Historical Roots of terrorism in US The activities of terrorism in the United States have a long historical background. The activities of terrorism started in the United States in 1850. In the 1850s, the nation was divided into the North and the South. There were several states in the South which were slave states. The people at one point of time wanted to get rid of slavery which caused opposition forces to revolt against the state forces. In 1856 to 1859, John Brown raised a strategic opposition against the states in order to create a situation of terror. The objective of John Brown in creating terror was to bring a change in the political system and abolish slavery from the United States. John Brown resorted to the armed revolution against the state force. The revolutionary activists were soon captured and John Brown was executed. The civil war of 1863 witnessed severe terrorism activities with the infrastructure of the southern states getting devastated during the six day war. From this period the concept of terrorism laid its roots in the United States. Over the years, the population in the United States has been diverse due to the increase of immigration. The roots of terrorism in the country have developed due to the lack of faith that the benefit of citizenship is equally distributed among all the residents due to the irrespective of their origin (McCann, 2006). This has resulted into aggressive and violent reactions which took the form of terrorism. After the civil war of 1863, the violence of the white people over the other ethnic races became prominent as their aim was to establish their supremacy. This resulted into domestic terrorism in the United States. In the 1920s, the anarchist ideology prospered in the United States and the Ku Klux Clan which developed after the civil war raised their acts of domestic terrorism against the state forces. The era of 1950s and the 1960s was an age of post colonial establishments and the civil rights movement gained momentum. The flights moving in and out of the United States were frequently hijacked during these two decades. Several terrorist organizations started to develop. They began to use the advancements of technological field in order to create a socio-cultural, political and economic impact on United States. The instance of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre is the most severe act of terrorism in the United States. Motives of Terrorism in the US There are underlying motives for the activities of terrorism in the United States. The motives of the terrorists over the years in United States have changed which resulted into varying effects of terrorism in the country. The earlier motives of terrorism were attainment of freedom from the evil of slavery. The southern states of America were under the rule of slavery and the white population enjoyed the privileges over the other ethnic races. The people wanted to get rid of the evil of slavery which forced them to raise opposition and declare independence. In 1856, it was the under the leadership of John Brown that the motive of attaining freedom from the evil of slavery developed into acts of terrorism. The motive behind the acts of terror was to establish a new political system and attain freedom from slavery. The acts of terror in the civil war of the United States were the resultant of the conflict between the objectives of the northern and the southern states of the United States. The southern states of America had the motive to continue the system of slavery while the northern states were against the system of slavery. The conflict between the motives of dividing America into North and the South against the intentions of consolidating the national integrity of America led to the acts of extreme terror in the civil war. The country faced domestic terrorism in the 1920s to the 1960s due to the disbelief of the diverse population on the equitable distribution of benefits of the society. The motive for establishment of supremacy by the white over the other ethnic races led to the creation of terror in the United States (Simon, 2001). Another motive of the subsequent acts of external terrorism on the United States was to uproot the dominance of the United States over the rest of the world, especially the Islamic countries. The instances of the US support to Israel against the Arab Union, capture of Iraq by the United States led the Islamic organizations to revolt and undertake terrorism against the United States. These motives have led to the destruction of the World Trade Centre which was the result of the motive of the Islamic terrorist organization, Al Qaida to free the world from the dominance and oppression of the United States (Kushner, 1998). The motives were considered to be the rights of the terrorist organizations to establish their voice of freedom although the ways adopted by them are questionable. Methods of Terrorism in US The methods of terrorism in the United States changed as the motives for such activities underwent changes. Initially the methods of terrorism involved resorting to armed activities with weapons against the state forces. This was adopted during the time when movements against the abolition of slavery gained momentum. The six day civil war in the United States saw acts of extreme terror with the generals and soldiers fighting for their cause. In the intermediate stages after the rise of the youth against the American imperialist forces and in order to establish the civil rights of all the ethnic races, revolutions cropped up against the state forces. The assassination of the presidents like Abraham Lincoln is an act of terrorism by the groups who failed to integrate with the objective of the state. In the 1960s and 1970, the hijacking of planes was also a method of terrorism against the United States (Borgeson and Valeri, 2009). Later on with the increasing dominance of the United States over the Islamic countries and the rest of the world, the terrorist forces used severe attacks with the use of advanced technology. The technologically sound methods of terrorism were used to attack the World Trade Centre, White House, Pentagon, etc. Several Researchers in United States started to distinguish various types of Terrorism since 1970s due to increase of different types of terrorism activities. Several domestic and international terrorist groups or organizations started to follow several terrorism methods in order to achieve their political goals by dismissing civil balance of a country. Modern terrorist groups are using several methods and techniques, such as hijacking, diplomatic kidnapping, bombing and assassination in order to assert their specific demands. Government, state personals and common people of several countries got familiar with the various types or methods of terrorism. Civil disorder, non political terrorism, political terrorism, limited political terrorism, state terrorism and quasi terrorism are several types of terrorism (Michael, 2004). These several types of terrorism implement distinct method of violence to spread their message across various global places. The modern terrorist organizations are implementing several chemical, nuclear and atomic technologies in their terrorist activities. Cyber terrorism is another example of modern day terrorist activities. Bombing is the most common and effective method of terrorism. Government of US is trying to reduce the threats by implementing several effective strategies. Historical Context: Terrorism in US After the terrorist attack of 9/11, 2001, the world became different place in several respects. Terrorism in US is not a new phenomenon. The country experienced this concept earlier. On 11th September, terrorists hijacked four US commercial jet planes. These terrorists attempted to fly those jet planes into several important US targets. Two jet planes crashed into the World Trade Centre’s twin tower. However, 3000 people died due to this terrorist attack. American people bonded together in the following weeks of 11th September’s terrorist attack. President G.W. Bush called for all the global countries to fight against terrorism (Gardner, 2005). The US military mobilized for a war. The operation code name of this war was Enduring Freedom. The government of US declared Osama Bin Laden as the major suspect. The government sent military force to Afghanistan to fight against terrorist organization named Al Qaeda. The US military had been able to confine several leaders within various terrorist organizations. Massive controversy arose when President G.W. Bush sent military force into Iraq. President claimed that leader Saddam Hussein was developing several mass destructive weapons. Moreover, President Mr. G.W. Bush claimed that Saddam Hussein was providing several kinds of aids to Al Qaeda operations. However, no evidence or proof of arms was founded in the operating areas of Iraq. The World Trade Center bombing in the year 1993 is also considered as the terrorist activity. Several terrorist organizations and groups are responsible for this attack. These groups are Islamic extremist groups, such as Ajaj, Salameh, Ismoil, Yosef and Abuhalima. The terrorists drove a urea-nitrate bomb of 1500 pound weight into the World Trade Centre’s basement. This explosion rocked whole World Trade Centre. Six people lost their lives and more than thousand people got injured due to this explosion. The terrorists linked with this atrocious crime had been associated with several terrorist groups, such as Hamans, Islamic Jihad and Sudanese National Islamic Front. A Jury found Abuhalima, Ayyad and Salameh guilty of the bombing in the year 1994. Ramzi Yousef and Eyas Ismoil were the major guilty brains behind it. Eyad was sentenced to prison for 240 years. Moreover, he had to pay the fine of 10 million US dollar according to the legal sentence. On the other hand, Yousef had to pay a fine of 4.5 million US dollars. Moreover, he was sentenced to 240 years in prison. These fines were taken in order to ensure that these terrorists could never achieve profit from their scenes. Common themes and/or unique characteristics: Terrorism in US When the terrorist activity of 9/11 occurred, people of America already had experiences of several terrorist attacks in past. Exploring several US policies in the Middle East countries, evolution of global political Islam and the 1980s Afghan War motivated several conservative Islamic leaders to form organizations in order to dismiss the American civil balance (Gage, 2011). The general regional approach completely affirms a significant link between Islam, Terrorism and Middle East Countries’ politics. Islamic extremism is the major adherence to the basic interpretation of Islam. It potentially includes the promotion of human violence. The objective of these activities is to achieve several political goals. It is true that several Conservative Islamic terrorist groups or organizations are trying to achieve their political goals through several cold war activities. These activities of the operations are called “Jehad”. It means freedom. These groups always try to establish dominance in the non-Islamic country through several terrorist activities (Pilar, 2001). However, several US policies in the Middle East countries are responsible for this. It is true that Middle East countries are the largest global Oil producers and distributors. These oil mines attracted US government to enter into these countries. The government of US developed several policies in those countries. These activities evoked the fire of terrorism in the minds of several conservative Islamic political leaders. Jehad is a holy war undertaken by several Islamic terrorist groups as an important sacred duty. Jehad creates emotional and vigorous crusades for a principle or an idea. World Trade Centre Bombing, Twin Tower Collapse and recent Boston Bombing are based on these principles or morals. People always try to gain their freedom in terms of their religion and individualism. The terrorist groups always motivate several Islamic individuals based on religion and existence. It is true that killing innocent people is not a great example. An individual cannot gain freedom in this way. However, as it is discussed earlier, several US policies and activities are also responsible for these increasing terrorism activities. There was no need to attack Iraq and demolish Saddam Hussein (Rabil, 2006). The allegation of keeping weapons and providing aids to terrorism groups or organizations are still not proved. Religion is a sensitive matter. Several conservative Islamic leaders took the advantage of this idea in order to fulfill their personal political goals. Conclusion Terrorism can be defined as the threatened use of violence in order to scare a government or population of a country. Terrorism results in religious, political and ideological change. Since 19th century, the people of US are suffering from increasing terrorism activities. Innocent common people are losing their lives due to these activities. It is true that several groups of theorists are executing their strategies in order to violate the civil balance of a country. US are suffering as compared to other countries due to their aggressive international policies and activities in global countries, especially in the Middle East Countries. Conservative Islamic political leaders are forming groups or organizations to create terror among the Americans. These leaders are motivating several uneducated and educated Islamic individuals to fight against the government of US through cold war. Twin Tower collapse on 9/11 shocked the population and government of US. Advanced technology helps the terrorist groups or organizations to create effective weapons. Bombing and hijacking are the common examples of modern day terrorism activities. It is important for US government to maintain religious balance within the country as it is the major driver of modern terrorist activities. Works cited Borgeson, K. and Valeri, R. (2009). Terrorism in America. UK: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Gage, B. (2011). Terrorism and the American Experience: A State of the Field. Retrieved from: < http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/teaching/2011_06/article.pdf>. Gardner, H. (2005). American Global Strategy and the “War on Terrorism”. USA: Ashgate University Press. Kushner, H. (1998). Terrorism in America: a structured approach to understanding the terrorist from the Famous to the Forgotten. USA: Sentient Publications. McCann, J. (2006). Terrorism on American Soil: A Concise History of Plots and Perpetrators threat. USA: Charles Thomas. Michael, G. (2004). Confronting Right Wing Extremism and Terrorism in the USA. UK: Greenwood Publishing. Pilar, P. (2001). Terrorism and US Foreign Policy. USA: Brookings Institution Press. Piszkiewicz, D. (2003). Terrorism's War With America: A History. USA: Greenwood Publishing Publishing. Rabil, R. (2006). Syria, the United States, and the War on Terror in the Middle East. UK: Routledge. Simon, J. D. (2001). The Terrorist Trap: America's Experience with Terrorism. USA: Indiana Read More