Fifteen years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans are reeling not only from the human loss on that day but also from the measures put in place to make us safer.
The identity of the United States changed forever after 9/11, just as it did 60 years earlier following the unprovoked bombing of Pearl Harbor. The changes have touched all aspects of our society – from security and transportation to immigration and religious tolerance.
Here’s a slideshow showing how the attacks on 9/11 have changed the United States:
A U.S. Marine cries during the memorial service for 31 U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq. The image was captured at Camp Korean Village in western Iraq, on Feb. 2, 2005.
Associated Press
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
After the terrorist attacks, the U.S. Congress voted to go to war with Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Hundreds of thousands of American men and women went to war.
Approximately 2,384 servicemen and women died during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and 4,424 died during Operation Iraqi Freedom. At least 970,000 veterans have some degree of officially recognized disability as a result of the wars.
Associated Press
The USA PATRIOT Act
Passed six weeks after the attacks, the USA PATRIOT Act was created to strengthen domestic security and broaden the powers of law-enforcement agencies with regards to identifying and stopping terrorists.
The act gave the government unprecedented power to indefinitely access and detain immigrants while allowing law enforcement to search a home or business without the owner's consent and giving the FBI the freedom to search telephone, e-mail, and financial records without a court order.
Security experts have argued the Patriot Act has given the United States the ability to stop terrorist attacks by gaining information. Opponents argue that the legislation is a violation of the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable searches and seizures.
President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2004 (PL 108-90) at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003.
White House photo
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
President George Bush created the Department of Homeland Security in response to the 2001 terrorist attacks. The missions of the cabinet department involved antiterrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cybersecurity and disaster prevention and management.
The department has been criticized for ineffectiveness, lack of transparency and invasion of privacy.
Associated Press
Creation of a surveillance state
Departments created and laws passed after Sept. 11, 2001, have meant to ramp up surveillance efforts in and outside of America.
Law enforcement now has access to records that once required a court order to obtain. Facial recognition is common at airports. And data on millions of Americans are being collected and stored.
The Department of Justice, National Security Agency, Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigations have all expanded the kinds of information being collected in search of terrorist plots.
National Guard troops outnumber tourists at Baltimore's Inner Harbor in May 2015 as the city prepares for an uncertain weekend of more protests and the possibility of more unrest.
John Luciew Militarization of law enforcementAs fear of terrorist attacks developed around the United States, law enforcement began purchasing military-style weapons, vehicles and equipment.
The militarization of law enforcement has become a concern for people that feel police have gone from serving and protecting communities to occupying them.
Terrorists used lax security at airports and on airplanes to carry out their attacks. As a result, airport and airplane security went through significant changes.
Anyone flying out of an American airport is now used to the security measures – taking off your shoes during security checks, full body scans, removing your laptops from their bags and only being able to carry on a certain amount of liquids.
But there were a number of other changes implemented, such as new facial recognition technology, more cockpit security measures and additional air marshals.
In this Thursday, July 28, 2016, file photo, Khizr Khan, father of fallen US Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan and his wife Ghazala speak during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump broke a major American political and societal taboo over the weekend when he engaged in an emotionally-charged feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the bereaved parents of a decorated Muslim Army captain killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq.
Associated Press Anti-Muslim sentimentThe attacks of 9/11 by Islamic extremists has resulted in a distrust of Muslims around the United States.
Directly after the attacks, there were a number of assaults on Muslim men and women. However, additional terrorist attacks around the world and political rhetoric has contributed to a continued anti-Islamic attitude.
In 2014, the FBI reported that the number of hate crimes decreased nationally while the number of anti-Muslim crimes rose 14 percent over the previous year.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen sits under a chart showing the U.S. national debt as she testifies in July 2016 on Capitol Hill.
Associated Press Ever-increasing national debt The national debt in the United States was $5.7 trillion on the day of the terrorist attacks. Fifteen years and two war later, the national debt has ballooned to $19.4 trillion.
The terrorist attacks brought down the Twin Towers, but in their footprint rose the Freedom Tower. The 104-story building was designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. The building opened in November 2014.
Also built on the site is the National September 11 Memorial – a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 men, women and children killed during the attacks.
Two reflecting pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers stood. The pools – which are nearly an acre each in size – feature the two largest man-made waterfalls in North America.
The names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 World Trade Center attacks are inscribed into bronze panels edging the memorial pools.
