- Remembering September 11
- Responding to Terrorist Attacks
- Background Information on Terrorism
- Compilations of Resources
- Further Academic Sites
This is a selection of the many news web sites and government reports and web sites which have information on the September 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S., local, and international response to the attacks, and terrorism in general.
Remembering September 11
Flight 93 National Memorial
This National Park commemorates the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in western Pennsylvania.
Remembering 9-11-01
This site from the archived White House web site includes photos, quotes from the President, and links to web casts of commemorative events in Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.
The September 11 Web Archive
This site was commissioned by the Library of Congress to preserve web sites as they existed from September 11 and through its aftermath. Government, charitable, and U.S. and international news sites are included as well as personal sites.
After September 11: Images From Ground Zero
The U.S. Department of State sponsors this exhibit containing photographs by Joel Meyerowitz of the recovery efforts at the World Trade Center. Captions and descriptions are included in six different languages.
September 11, 2001 Documentary Project
The day after the attacks, the American Folk life Center called upon the nation’s folklorists and ethnographers to collect, record, and document America’s reaction. A sampling of the material collected through this effort was used to create the September 11, 2001, Documentary Project.
Witness and Response: September 11 Acquisitions at the Library of Congress
This site contains many images of items related to the attacks collected by the Library of Congress’s various divisions.
911history.net
This site describes a project of the Museum of the City of New York and the National Museum of American History to collect and preserve artifacts from the attacks on the World Trade Center. Some exhibitions are available online.
September 11: Bearing Witness to History
The National Museum of American History has collected objects and personal accounts for this exhibit on the terrorist attacks.
Sept. 11, 2002: One Year Later
This is a compilation of news from around the world about the first anniversary of September 11, 2001, compiled by the World Press Review.
United We Serve: September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance
By encouraging Americans to participate in service and remembrance activities on the 9/11 anniversary, family members wanted to provide a productive and respectful way to honor those who perished and rekindle the spirit of unity and compassion that swept our nation after 9/11 to help meet the challenges we face today.
Launchpad: A Guided Exploration of the Events of 9/11
This site from the National Endowment for the Humanities is directed at older school age children and includes lesson plans about heroism.
Lesson plans and other resources for teachers related to the 10th anniversary of 9/11, from the U.S. Department of Education.
A compilation of resources from the Homeland Security Digital Library, a service of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
Responding to Terrorist Attacks
September 11, 2001 – Attack on America
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School compiled this chronological and searchable list of presidential and congressional documents related to the attacks.
OVC Handbook for Coping After Terrorism
This publication from the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, discusses common reactions to terrorism and places to get emotional and financial help.
Homeland Security
An archived version of the Homeland Security web page from the George W. Bush administration.
Department of Homeland Security
This federal department was created in January, 2003, combining many federal departments that have dealt with homeland security issues in the past.
Emergency Preparedness and Response
This site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiles information on anthrax and other biological and chemical agents as well as information about bioterrorism.
Legislation Related to the Attack of September 11, 2001
This site from the Thomas legislative web site, hosted by the Library of Congress, compiles all legislative actions relating to the attacks, including links to full text of bills and bill status. Note: The site will not be updated after the conclusion of the 107th Congress.
A compilation of resources from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission about nuclear security after 9/11.
U.N. Action Against Terrorism
Current news and documents regarding the United Nations’ position on terrorism in general and the attacks specifically. Includes statements and reports by the Secretary-General, various resolutions, convention reports, declarations, etc.
Bioterrorism Preparedness
This site from the Illinois Department of Public Health addresses frequently asked questions about anthrax, mail handling, and preventing and responding to bioterrorism.
Illinois Homeland Security
A site compiling national and state news, updates on the homeland security situation in Illinois, and information on terrorism.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime This site describes the UN’s counter-terrorism activities and links to the twelve U.N. Conventions and Protocols on terrorism.
NATO’s Contribution to the Fight Against Terrorism
This site contains press releases from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization about the attacks, treaty documents relevant to NATO’s involvement in responding to the attacks, and transcripts of press briefings by U.S. officials.
City of Chicago Public Health Emergency Preparedness
This site from the City of Chicago’s Department of Public Health gives information on anthrax for medical personnel and the public as well as descriptions of city, state and federal public health initiatives on bioterrorism.
Background Information on Terrorism
Recent Terrorism Events: Background and Context
This site from CQ Press, a leading publisher on American government and politics, compiles encyclopedia entries and in-depth articles on terrorism, Islam, regional politics, and U.S. intelligence agencies from CQ sources.
Biological Warfare
The National Library of Medicine’s Specialized Information Services Division compiled this site describing several potential biological weapons and linking to further information about each.
U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century
Also known as the Hart-Rudman Commission, its February 2001 report titled Road Map for National Security: Imperative for Change recommends creation of a National Homeland Security Agency and reorganization of existing national security agencies. Note: Site works better in Internet Explorer.
Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism
This 2000 report from the National Commission on Terrorism details the U.S.’s readiness for terrorist attacks and steps that must be taken to more effectively prevent and respond to terrorism. Hearings on this report were held by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on June 15, 2000 and by the Senate Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information of the Committee on the Judiciary on June 28, 2000.
The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism: Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why?
This 1999 report by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress looks at the common characteristics of terrorists in an attempt to identify them and prevent future attacks. Biographies of known terrorists are included.
Digital National Security Archive UIUC subscription
A collection of over 40,000 declassified U.S. documents on various aspects of national security and foreign policy, including Afghanistan: The Making of U.S. Policy, 1973-1990. The National Security Archive is a nonprofit organization which publishes and indexes documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
The September 11 Sourcebooks
The Sourcebook is published by the National Security Archive, and compiles primary source material from the U.S. government on topics relevant to the attacks and the U.S. response to them. Six volumes are currently available on various aspects of Afghanistan’s history and politics and about the U.S.’s previous experiences with terrorism.
Country Reports on Terrorism This annual publication of the U.S. Department of State gives a chronology of terrorist incidents, background information on terrorist groups, and describes terrorist incidents by country. It also contains statistics on terrorist incidents and extradition of terrorists to the United States.
Terrorism in the United States
The FBI publishes this annual description and analysis of terrorist attacks on American soil, pending investigations and prosecutions, and known terrorist groups.
Afghanistan Country Study, Peter Blood, ed.
This volume in the Area Studies Handbook series describes the history and society of Afghanistan in detail as of 1997.
Background Note: Afghanistan
This publication from the U.S. Department of State describes Afghanistan in detail, including population, history, government and politics, economy, and foreign relations.
Government Accountability Office
This non-partisan agency, the “investigative arm of Congress,” has compiled its reports on terrorism and homeland security and made them accessible from its home page (under GAO Reports).
Jihadi Groups, Nuclear Pakistan, and the New Great Game M. Ehsan Ahrari (PDF format)
This August, 2001 report on the political and military situation in Pakistan and southeast Asia as a whole was published by the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College.
The Hart-Rudman Commission and the Homeland Defense Ian Roxborough
This report from the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, published in September 2001, states that the threats to American security may be broader than those addressed by the Hart-Rudman Commission.
Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism: Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly Resolution 51/210 of 17 December 1996
This committee of the United Nations General Assembly has two treaties about fighting terrorism linked from its site, including the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (pdf), and many links to reports filed since its formation in 1997.
Compilations of Resources
America Responds
From GovSpot.com, a compilation of news links, frequently asked questions, government agency sites, and contact information. Online archives of news coverage and web sites created in response to the attacks are also contained here under ‘Sept. 11 Events’.
CRS Reports: Terrorism and Homeland Security
These resources were compiled by the Thurgood Marshall Law Library at the University of Maryland. Links are provided to reports by the Congressional Research Service, which researches topics at the request of members of Congress.
Special Coverage: War on Terrorism
This site from Findlaw.com contains links to court cases related to terrorism, international news sites, government reports, analysis of legal issues raised by the terrorist attacks, and laws passed by Congress.
Annotated Bibliography of Government Documents Related to the Threat of Terrorism and the Attacks of September 11, 2001
This bibliography includes both print and online sources about global terrorism, international politics, national security, weapons of mass destruction, and related topics.
Further Academic Sites
Terrorism: Attacks and Responses (Vanderbilt University)