Causes of Domestic Terrorism

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Causes of Domestic Terrorism October 1, 2012 Our nation would not argue that September 11, 2001 would be a day not soon forgotten. It is a day that many people have put behind them and not realized how it still impacts them in their everyday lives. Considering the fact that nearly 3,000 people died on 9/11 by terrorists on our own soil, Americans have to be cautious that it could happen again. No American wants a day like 9/11 to happen again, but it is not the first terrorism attack to happen on American soil. This paper will discuss domestic terrorism that has happened in the past, potential attacks that could happen today, and the tools and tactics that have been put in place to prevent domestic terrorism. New York has always been a target of attack for terrorists. It is the nation’s largest city and it has been the gateway for many immigrants throughout history. Not many people know of just how many terrorist attacks have happened on American soil. For example, there was the Oklahoma City bombing, the Unabomber, the Waco Siege, and, of course, 9/11. Many Americans do not know about one of the very first terrorist attacks that took place right on Wall Street. “On September 16, 1920, as the bells of Trinity Church chimed the noon hour, a bomb planted on a horse-drawn wagon exploded into the lunchtime crowd at Wall and Broad, shattering windows throughout the financial district, killing thirty-eight people and wounding hundreds more. Until the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, it was the worst act of terrorism in American history” (Gage, 2009). Is it a coincidence that this terrorist attack took place in mid September and in downtown New York City? Has history evolved into a world where terrorists, both foreign and domestic, have tactfully become more proficient and successful in their attacks? Americans have to realize that history will repeat itself and
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