The History Of Terrorism In The United States - Research Paper Example

The history of terrorism in the United States Introduction Just like other countries, the USA continues to be plagued with various acts of terrorism. People around the world disagree on a single definition of terrorism. This is because of the difference in perspectives between individuals partaking in acts termed as acts of terrorism and victims of these acts. Those involved in such acts use their ideologies as a basis of justification; however misguided their actions might be, they do not consider themselves terrorists. On the contrary, they view themselves as heroes ascribing heroic qualities to their actions. Despite this disagreement, all parties agree on the forms terrorist acts take, which include systematic or non-systematic warfare covertly displayed. However, in some extreme cases, the display of warfare occurs openly, for example, in the cases of suicide bombing. Moreover, people also agree on the role played by political, religious, and, social ideologies as being the driving force behind acts of terrorism. Therefore, this paper outlines the historical roots, motives, historical context and motives behind terrorist acts in the USA (Gérard, 2007). Historical Roots An analysis of the history of terrorism in USA indicates citizen’s distrust of America’s system of democracy. With the institution of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the official introduction of the American dream happened and with this came the introduction of hope among citizens. However, as time elapsed, many begun to distrust the core values outlined by the Declaration of Independence (Don, 2010). This happened when individuals noted the disparities in equality compounded by the differences in race, religion, and, political ideologies among other factors. Increasing levels of distrust resulted in acts of domestic terrorism. People resorted to inhumane warfare tactics with the aim of raising awareness on their frustrations. The acts of terror can be classified according to the period in which they occurred. These include; post civil war, 1920s communist and anarchist violence, and, domestic terrorism (1960s & 1970s). Post-civil war acts of terrorism begun as early as 1622 when Native Americans waged war on the Jamestown colony, where they ended up killing 30% of the population. The Powhatan Native Americans rebelled because of the encroachment and forceful eviction of their population by White settlers. Their actions served to highlight their displeasure with the White settlers who showed little regard for the ancestral occupants of the land. However, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) formed in 1967, represented the first officially recognized terrorist organization in the USA. Led by former Confederate Nathan Bedford, the KKK initially sought to represent social issues, however, their goals got misdirected in 1868, whereby, its followers turned to violence. The KKK represented white supremacist ideologies, which looked down upon Black Americans. KKK followers represented misguided racist ideologies and exposed Black Americans to inhumane treatment. In the case of KKK, differences in political ideologies resulted in their acts of terror against the Black Americans. KKK followers were against the Republican government which sought to abolish the slave trade and grant equal rights to the liberated slaves. It was between 1871 and 1872 that the government finally put an end to the KKK inhumane act of terror exercised against the Black (McCann, 2006). The 1920s saw the communists, and anarchist acts of terrorism spread through the USA. In this case, the difference in social and political ideologies compounded the inhumane warfare which plagued different states within the USA. The Bolshevik revolution fueled terror acts especially with the creation of the Soviet Union in 1917. The ideologies spread revolved around a socialist way of thinking which encouraged the spread of communism among its followers. Unlike other countries, the USA’s ideologies are individualistic in nature, whereby, individuals strive to accomplish personal success while paying remarkably little attention to the success of the community as a whole. The American ‘robber barons’ helped to fuel the unrest among those who disagreed with America’s individualistic ideologies. They believed that these ideologies only encouraged the spread of wealth among a group of people. As a result, the ‘red scare’; a period marked by unrest among citizens and fear of communist ideologies causing a revolution in the USA, begun. An example of an act of terror during this period includes the 1920 Wall Street Bombing (Pamala &Griset, 2003). The 1960s-1970s saw the rise of domestic acts of terror within the USA. The expansion of plane travel to different parts around the world propelled the frequency with which these acts occurred through hijacking of planes. Unrest in other regions further fueled the occurrence of terror acts, for example, the Cuban crisis affected air travel because of the increased hijacking incidents. Political and religious disparities in ideologies were to blame for the domestic acts of terror during this period. The Civil rights movement resulted in the empowering of the American youth who rebelled against American imperialism. Terrorism took a different form with the invention of the internet, whereby, terrorists resorted to cyber terrorism. This continues to plague the American population especially because cyber terrorist are harder to track down. This is because of the expansive nature of the virtual world which removes inhibitions such as geographical obstacles (Sinclair, 2004). Motives Ideological differences in political religious or social spheres can be said to be the prime motivators of acts of terror. Throughout the years, an analysis of terrorists’ profiles indicates that individuals involved in terrorist acts share common ideologies. Furthermore, these individuals are also avid, staunch believers of the ideologies which define their cause. As a result, most of the individuals involved in acts of terror use their beliefs to justify their involvement in inhumane actions. To most of them, resorting to extreme forms of violence proves to be the only way of expressing themselves and direct people’s attention towards their beliefs and what they are fighting for. For example, jihadists in the Middle East, continue to reign terror on those who do not agree with their religious ideologies. Therefore, they use their religion to justify their inhumane, merciless slaughter of innocent individuals all around the world. They believe in the sanctification of their cause by a supreme, supernatural phenomenon, which they refer to as Allah. From a psychological perspective, these individuals possess a powerful intrinsic form of motivation. Meaning, internal, personal dispositions act as the main motivators of behavior within such individuals. As a result, the likelihood of following through on inhumane acts without getting affected by their conscience is higher. This is because they have already convinced themselves that what their actions are right (Don, 2010). In the case of political ideologies, individuals in dictatorial regimes impose their false ideologies among their followers. Therefore, they do not expect their subordinates to rebel against them. As a result, authoritarian leaders result in the use of acts of terror to instill fear ensuring maximum co-operation from their subjects. On the other hand, subordinates might rebel be resorting to acts of terror against their oppressors. Karl Marx, a prominent, sociologist proposed an explanation to this form of behavior in his theory of conflict. He advanced that, people within the ruling class have power over their subordinates. Therefore, conflict arises from the unequal distribution of power between those in the ruling class and those in the subordinate class. In such cases power acts as the main motivating factor driving terrorist acts. In conclusion, whatever the reasons leading to individuals’ involvement in acts of terror, the aim remains the redirection of people’s attention towards the demands of the terrorist group. For example, the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center by terrorists ensnared the government’s attention, redirecting it to the terrorists’ rebellion against the current government’s imperialistic tendencies which impinged on other countries Sovereignty (Sinclair, 2004). Methods Methods used in terror attacks keep improving with the changes in technology. For example, over the years, terrorists continue to use different variations of explosives in their bombs. The use of bombs will forever be the preferred way of instilling terror among a group of people, for example, the World Trade Center bombing in September, 2011. This is because, explosives are easier to use in populated areas as these bombs ensure maximum damage. The ability to alter the general physical and chemical composition of most bombs that have also aided in its campaign to be the most preferred weapon by terrorists. These many advancements in bomb technology have also made them easier to make (Pamala &Griset, 2003). Readily available chemicals such as ammonium nitrate found in some fertilizers can be mixed in the right amounts to make a bomb. These basic bomb ingredients could make the bomb virtually undetectable. The addition of extra components such as steel ball bearings can increase the effectiveness of a relatively small bomb tenfold. The use of basic physics and chemistry has made it possible for anyone to create a bomb with anything. Cyberspace terrorism is an upcoming form of terrorist attack. It involves the use of the internet as a medium for carrying out acts of terror. Cyberspace terrorism is slowly becoming the preferred way of committing atrocious crimes because of the anonymity of the culprits and the difficulty in tracking cyber terrorists. Almost everything is computerized or done via the internet ranging from basic shopping to banking. Thus a cyber attack in this modern day is the most personal and intrusive form of terror. It targets the most basic and most crucial unit of human existence, which is the home. Very few instances of terrorist attacks result in the abduction of individuals. However, when they do happen, captives rarely survive and interrogated using harsh, violent forms of torture (Pamala &Griset, 2003). Historical Context The invasion of Middle East was deemed to be constant interference in the given affairs of the Middle East countries by USA. This fueled Islamic extremists who resorted to terrorist acts across the globe. Nationalists from the Middle East viewed USA’s interference with their country’s affairs as disrespect. They also viewed it as a violation of their most dominant religion, Islam, as USA is a Christian state. A war was consequently fought on both the physical and spiritual fronts, and this gave rise to terrorism. Most of these Islamic extremist also viewed the USA’s motives as sinister as most proposed that the USA wanted to take control oil production in the region. Various conspiracies were, have been and still propagated. Another factor is the seemingly reluctant nature of the USA to withdraw its troops and other so called manifestations of USA dictatorship from the Middle East. The aggressive and determined nature of these terrorists has increased over the years. Attacks are now frequent and deadly, and they seem to be attracting a lot of sympathizers to join their cause. Human beings are spiritual beings in search for spiritual fulfillment, and this is a fact that has tremendously helped the extremists. They believe to be fighting a holy war, and that if they die they shall achieve eternal redemption. They believe that they are fighting for a higher and righteous purpose thus they gladly give their lives to it. The rise of wealthy, educated and battle survey extremist leaders over the years such as Osama bin Laden has transformed the war between the USA and its allies and these Islamic extremists. These leaders have access to unlimited funds and are skilled in the art of warfare and have revolutionized these extremist groups into well coordinated and effective terror networks. The elusiveness of these leaders over the years is also another testament to their intellectual prowess. In most cases, they manage to stay one step ahead of the USA and hide in clear sight. Most of these extremist leaders studied in the USA thus they are well versed in the ways of its citizens (Sinclair, 2004). Common themes A variety of key themes manifest themselves when it comes to acts of terror. They include; religion, political ideologies, and, nationalism. These themes remain static throughout the entire globe in relation to terrorist attacks. Different religions support different ideologies; therefore, people from different religions have different perspectives in the way they view things. Throughout the years, religious ideologies created the distinction between what was wrong and right. Emile Durkheim, a prominent, sociologist, tried to show the significance of religion in forming people’s perspectives, in his study of suicide. He advanced that, places where the Catholic faith prevailed, recorded a lower number of suicide rate unlike places where the Protestant religion was dominant. His explanation for this was that Catholic doctrines promote unity, togetherness and communalist thinking unlike Protestant doctrines, which promote individualistic thinking from the diverse branches of Protestant churches present, which teach different doctrines. The suicide bombings by Islamic terror groups represent the Islamic religious doctrines. Islamic extremists use Islam to justify the merciless killings of non-Muslims around the world. Therefore, a suicide bomber receives unqualified praise for their selfless act of ending their lives, which represents their staunch belief in their religious ideologies (Don, 2010). Political ideologies continue to prove dominant in many acts of terror. This is because of the differences in political ideologies propagated by political leaders with influence over people. For example, Adolf Hitler reflected his hatred of Jews in his political ideologies. As a result, he instilled fear on many Germans who had to accept these ideologies or suffer the same fate of the Jews. With time, German soldiers embraced Hitler’s political ideologies and carried out various acts of terror without any regard for humanity. Finally, nationalism was also a dominant theme in terrorism. Nationalists in different countries use acts of terror to raise awareness on the issues they represent. This is because acts of terror attract the people’s attention because of the severity of these acts. For example, the September 11th terrorist attack on US captured the attention of the government (Don, 2010). Psychopathology remains a unique theme in current terror acts, for example, cyberspace terrorism. With the introduction of the internet and its spread to various places around the world, a new form of terrorist attacks emerged. Although, these attacks are not that common, they are gradually on the rise (Don, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, acts of terrorism in the USA will persist for as long as people continue to differ on social, political or religious ideologies. The difference in ideologies is also as a result of the culturally diverse population present in USA. Therefore, the only way in which the government can try to reduce terrorism within the country is by achieving a compromise between people with differing ideological perspectives. The government can also implement strict penalties for all those found guilty by a court of law for involving themselves in acts of terror. Hence, both present and future regimes remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism, in the USA. References Don Nardo, Jarret Brachman. (2010). The History of Terrorism. New York: Compass Point Books. Gérard Chaliand, Arnaud Blin. (2007). The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda. New Jersey: University of California Press. McCann, Joseph. (2006). Terrorism on American Soil. New York: Sentient Publications. Pamala L. Griset, Sue Mahan. (2003). Terrorism in Perspective. New York: SAGE. Sinclair, Andrew. (2004). An Anatomy of Terror. New York: Pan. Read More