Write a brief essay that relies on primary documents to compare aspects of the two most famous attacks by foreign actors against the United States: the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday September 11, 2001.

Write a brief essay that relies on primary documents to compare aspects of the two most famous attacks by foreign actors against the United States: the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday September 11, 2001.

You are not to write a general report on the two attacks, but to analyze a specific topic related to both. A few possible topics to explore (don’t try to do all of these):
How news coverage of each attack changed over time (whether measured in days or months)
The range of public opinion on the attacks and what should be the appropriate response
Signs of political divisions—blaming one side or another
Racist or xenophobic reactions
Conspiracy theories that evolved (this will require looking beyond the year of the attack, but I want you to examine the conspiracies as historic topics—don’t just report the latest conspiracy theories on the Internet today)

Your task:
Familiarize yourself with the details of the attacks, the nation’s response, and public opinion about the attacks and the responses.
Conduct research with at least two different sources for each attack.
Potential primary sources:
Newspaper or magazine reports from the time you are analyzing.
Photographs or films/videos from the time (not documentaries made much later)
Describe the impact of your story at the time it happened and why you find it interesting today, or relevant to history students.
Include a list of your sources (does not count toward the 150-300 words). You don’t have to use a specific notation style; just give me enough information to find your source on the Internet.

Last Completed Projects