1

9 Themes of American History

Linked to 9-11

Democratic Ideals

• The principles of American democracy center on the notion that power lies in the hands of the people and it cannot be taken away from them.• Terrorists come from countries and backgrounds that place

people after rulers. Power is their source of power.

• Women, children, and minority populations especially suffer under these conditions.

• The guarantee of basic freedoms in the U.S. comes directly

from the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Citizenship

• American citizens have rights, but with those rights come responsibilities for nurturing (care for) and protecting our ways of life.• This vision of what it means to belong is articulated in the Constitution, but was first stated in the Declaration of Independence.

• Americans can expect (at a minimum) to enjoy LIFE (protection), LIBERTY (freedom of choice and privacy) and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (social, emotional and economic opportunity).

• Terrorists helped erode the American public’s expectation for all of the above (some or many people lost one or all three on 9-11)

• When politicians talk about the importance of national defense it’s because they swear to defend the Constitution and the basic protections afforded its citizens.

• It is not just government leaders job to secure our basic expectations – it’s a responsibility we all possess.

2

Impact of the Individual

• None of the institutional achievements (government, law,

cultural organizations) enjoyed by millions of Americans would be possible without the contributions and sacrifices of

individual leaders. America is a nation of leaders.

• If you belong to an organization today it is likely that you cantrace its roots to a specific individual –someone who started it, or

motivated others to start it for the good of many.

• There are countless stories of Americans who achieved great

things despite significant odds – George Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, FDR; to name just a few).

• Sometimes we call these people heroes and they go unrecognized

(first responders). Todd Beamer (known for Flight 93’s “Let’s Roll”) is an example of the kind of American hero that has helped

change America.

• Sometimes individuals help change America in less than positive

ways (i.e. the founders of the Ku Klux Klan)

Diversity and Unity

• America is comprised of people from many different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. This has to be, because other than Native Americans, we all came from other places. One way or another (some good; some bad) we have come together to face the greatest challenges.• As long as there have been people there have been disagreements about how to live.

• It is easy to find “scapegoats” for our problems – but this effort is typically an erroneous, oversimplified, and destructive solution that leads to discriminatory practices.

• Challenges to our freedom on 9-11 led to a modern-day “witch-hunt” of middle-eastern foreigners and nationals.

• In the interest of national defense, some have argued for increased racial profiling. How might that weaken our democracy and quality of life?

Immigration and Migration

• We have a pretty good thing going on here, otherwise people would not have endured the struggles they did to become part of this great nation.

• Within our country, people often relocate for greater economic or social opportunity.• The terrorist attacks on 9-11 made it more difficult for people to

move to our country (immigration), and for certain people to move within our country (migration).

• While there have been other events/periods in our history where

immigration has been curtailed (most notably WWII), it is likelyno other event will have made such a noticeable change on our

policies than 9-11.

3

Expansion

• Later you will learn about our nation’s period of rapid expansion, and President Monroe’s Manifest Destiny.• The history of America is largely a story about America growing older and wider simultaneously.

• Our long history of expansion has led many misinformed outsiders to presume we wish to continue conquering new lands on earth.

• Rather than earth’s land, the next frontier for America is in “other worlds.”• While Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy were committed to the space program for defense reasons – it has long been assumed that the U.S. would continue exploration of the outer-reaches of our

universe.

America and the World

• While the U.S. has always been reluctant to interfere with the business of others outside its borders, its increasing leadership role demands that it take positions to help make the world a better and safer place.• Our allies (friends) needed our help in WWI and WWII.• We single-handedly rebuilt Europe after WWII.

• The Cold War pit good against evil in a two superpower global ideological struggle.

• The U.S. survived the Cold War and now is the single leading nation.

• We supply a significant majority of financial and military aide to established and struggling countries around the world.

• Islamic Fundamentalists in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East detest us and the role we play. They see us as a threat to their survival.

• Politicians and government leaders in the U.S. see promotion of a stable and safe world as another means of self-defense (their Constitutional duty).

Science & Technology

• The U.S. has long been the world leader in intellectual development.• Nearly every major invention designed to improve our way of life has been invented or perfected by an American (Electricity, steam turbine, corn flakes, Light bulbs, telecommunications, modern-day radio, television, and the computer).

• Those things not invented by an American were made possibly by American innovation and investment (see next slide).

• The U.S. system of advanced education and research has kept us in the position of technology leader (not making it per se; inventing it).

• “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” Terrorism has spurred a number of growth industries employing cutting edge-technology to help keep us safe. Many inventions created by NASA and the military now are used in daily life.

4

Economics in History

• While the U.S. is not the wealthiest nation on a per capita basis, it is the leading economy of the world.• The U.S. far out-distances its nearest competitor in GDP, a real measure of economic power.• It attracts the greatest sources of foreign investment.• It has the single largest influence on world economic markets – the mini-depression caused by 9-11 and the effect it had on Wall Street and the nation’s investment markets and transportation sectors, contributed to a significant decline in all world markets for the following 4 years.