September 11, 2001 and the first response

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to F. Card A, exact: "That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons." (Public Law 107-40, section 2(a), signed September 18, 2001). Card B, a summary in our words: Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force as Senate Joint Resolution 23 on Friday, September 14, 2001. The Senate voted 98 to 0 and the House voted 420 to 1. Card C, from the Constitution, exact fragments: Article I, section 8 lists among the powers of Congress "To declare War". Article II, section 2 says "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States". Also from a joint resolution of Congress of December 8, 1941, exact: "the state of war between the United States and the Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared". Card D, exact, from the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296, section 101, signed November 25, 2002), with cuts marked: "There is established a Department of Homeland Security, as an executive department of the United States within the meaning of title 5. … The primary mission of the Department is to— (A) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; (B) reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; (C) minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States; …" Card E, a summary in our words: the Aviation and Transportation Security Act became law on November 19, 2001. It created the Transportation Security Administration inside the Department of Transportation and made it responsible for the day-to-day federal screening of airline passengers at airports. Card F, a table in our words from the Department of Homeland Security, Who Joined DHS. Five agencies that joined the Department of Homeland Security, and the department each came from: U.S. Customs Service (Treasury); Immigration and Naturalization Service (Justice); Transportation Security Administration (Transportation); Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (Treasury); Plum Island Animal Disease Center (Agriculture). All or part of 22 agencies joined the new department, which opened its doors on March 1, 2003. Card G, exact, from The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), page 13: "Five calls described the intent of passengers and surviving crew members to revolt against the hijackers. According to one call, they voted on whether to rush the terrorists in an attempt to retake the plane. They decided, and acted. At 9:57, the passenger assault began. Several passengers had terminated phone calls with loved ones in order to join the revolt."

2. 1.

   Ari compares card A with the 1941 words on card C. Which difference does the text show?

   • Both leave the target to the President, but just the 1941 text mentions the Constitution
   • The 1941 text limits force to Japan's armed forces, while card A sets no limit on targets
   • Both authorize the President to wage war, and the sole difference is that the 1941 text uses the word "declared"
   • The 1941 words declare war on a named government; card A authorizes force against groups linked to the attacks
3. 2.

   Card C gives Congress the power to declare war and makes the President commander in chief. Under card A, who picks targets, Bo asks?

   • The President decides who fits the description that Congress wrote into the text
   • The President alone, since he is commander in chief and the text adds no limit to his choice
   • Congress, since Congress alone can declare war and so Congress alone can name each target
   • The courts, which review each determination against the words of the text
4. 3.

   Jun looks for a limit on the force that card A allows. Where does the text itself set one?

   • In "to prevent any future acts," which ends the authority when the 2001 attacks are over
   • In "necessary and appropriate," which lets Congress review each use of force as needed
   • In the words linking targets to those who planned, aided or harbored the attackers
   • In the votes of card B, which show Congress meant to give a narrow grant
5. 4.

   Cards E and F both mention the Transportation Security Administration. What do they show Luz about airport screening?

   • Federal screening began inside Transportation in 2001, then moved into the new department
   • Screening moved from Transportation into the new department in 2001, a year before the Act
   • Airlines kept screening until the 2002 Act moved it to the new department
   • Screening was shared by Transportation and Treasury after 2002, since both lost agencies
6. 5.

   Card F lists five agencies and their old departments. What does the table show Milo about how the department was built?

   • It was built mostly from new agencies, and the table lists just the old ones that joined
   • It was built by moving existing agencies, but just from the Treasury and Justice departments
   • It was built mainly by moving existing agencies out of at least four departments
   • It was built from five departments, one for each agency in the table
7. 6.

   Card G says "According to one call, they voted." How strong is that as evidence that each passenger voted, Noah asks?

   • Weak: it reports one call's account of a vote and does not say who voted or how
   • Weak: calls from a hijacked plane are not reliable evidence of anything
   • Moderate: the Commission is careful, so one call is enough to show each passenger took part
   • Strong: five calls described the plan to revolt, so the vote was widely reported
8. 7.

   Across cards A, E and D, how did the federal response change from September 2001 to November 2002, Pia asks?

   • From a temporary emergency measure toward a standing force for the defense of the homeland
   • From a quick grant of authority and a new agency toward a lasting department built from existing ones
   • From federal leadership toward leadership by states and localities, who gained the department's powers
   • From building a lasting department toward a quick grant of authority to the President
9. 8.

   Ren tests the claim "the authorization let the President act against any country." Which evidence tests it best?

   • The title of the resolution, because a title decides who may be targeted
   • Card C's war clause, because a declaration alone can set the scope of force
   • The votes on card B, because near-unanimity shows Congress meant to give wide authority
   • The linking words in card A, because the votes on card B show approval, not scope
10. 9.

    Card D calls the new department "an executive department" and card C makes the President commander in chief. What does that tell Tala about control?

    • The department sits in the executive branch under the President, like Treasury or Justice
    • It answers to Congress, because Congress created it and set its mission
    • It shares control with the states, since its mission is to protect the whole country
    • It is independent like a commission, since its mission is written in a law
11. 10.

    A note says "Federal airport screening began only with the 2002 Homeland Security Act." Which reading of the cards best answers it, Zee asks?

    • Card F, which shows the screening agency joining the department in 2003, after the Act
    • Card E dates federal screening to 2001; card F fits 2002 only for the agency's move
    • Card B, which shows Congress acting on security in 2001, so screening began then
    • Card D, which gives the department a mission to prevent attacks, so screening began there