Johnson1

Hannah Johnson

Mr. King

English I

1 March, 2017

Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy

A huge threat in the world today is terrorism. Terrorism is the unlawful use of violence

and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims (Oxford). Though

terrorism existed in the past, it has recently become a more global issue. Groups such as Al

Qaeda, ISIS and The Taliban have became organized terrorist groups in the past three decades.

Conflict between the United States of America and terrorism has created many detrimental

outcomes such as war.

The word terrorism came into use during the French Revolution, but derives from the

Roman phrase terror cimbricus to describe the feeling of trepidation while preparing for

combat (Origins). The first ever recorded account of terrorism dates back to Roman times with

the Zealots of Judea (Terrorism). The Zealots motivation to intimidate and murder Romans were

for religious and political aims. Not only did the Zealots target Roman sovereignty but also

targeted non-combatants such as Jewish religious figures whom they considered to be traitors to

the national cause. This terrorist group was able to stay alive for over fifty years (Zealots).

Traveling to more modern times, The French Revolution is an example of terrorism

inflicted by the government to its citizens (Terrorism). The destitute poor paid the majority of the

taxes while the Aristocracy accumulated wealth (The Editors). This led to the Reign of Terror

which had an estimated 27,000 deaths (Reign).

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Terrorism's effects are psychological or physical, terrorism harms all who are involved.

Even the radicalized groups who are creating the conflict are to some extent harmed, though not

directly from their own actions. The views of Islamophobes and those of ISIS, al-Qaeda and

their co-thinkers are in many ways a mirror image of each other: The other guys have values that

are alien to ours; they are out to destroy our civilization; even when some of them seem

reasonable, we must not trust them because, deep down, they're all hostile to us (Gee). This

excerpt brings light to the area of terrorism, as it is not a one way street. Democracy fights back

just as strong to those who seek to destroy it.

A modern terrorist attacks is 9/11 which was an attack on the World Trade Center and The

Pentagon (History). This is one of the most known attacks, as it killed 2,977 people (September).

There has also been smaller attacks, such as the attacks in Berlin, Paris and London. In

December 2016, a man in Berlin drove a truck through a crowd of people, killing 12. On

November 15th, 2015 a series of suicide bombings and shootings killed 130 Parisians (Deadly).

Terrorist attacks arent determined by the size of the attack, but why the targeted group was

chosen and what message the attack was used to send.

Terrorism has been a problem of society since the beginning of civilization. Many

societies have had to deal with its outcomes, just like the modern world is today. America as a

nation needs to bring light to terrorism as a worldwide issue, not just a national issue.

Work Cited:

"Terrorism." Oxford Dictionaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2017. (Oxford in Paper)
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"Zealots: One of the First Terrorist Organizations." Perspectives of the Past. N.p., 23 May 2012.

Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

"Terrorism RESEARCH." Early History of Terrorism. Terrorism Research, n.d. Web. 25 Apr.

2017.

"Origins Of The Term Terrorism." Crime Museum. Crime Museum, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

History.com Staff. "9/11 Attacks." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 25 Apr.

2017.

"September 11, 2001: Background and Timeline of the Attacks." CNN. Cable News Network, 08

Sept. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.

"Deadly Attacks in London, Paris, Berlin and beyond Have Shaken Europe in Recent Years."Los

Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. "French Revolution." Encyclopdia Britannica.

Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 23 Dec. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.

"Reign of Terror." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 02 May

2017.