“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” George W. Bush delivered this speech on the night of the September 11 attacks. The shattered steel of the Twin Towers, once towering the New York City skyline, forever changed America and its response to terrorism. The largest foreign attack on U.S. soil appropriately gave reason to Americans to recoil in fear and lose trust in the future, but in reality, the country displayed the opposite reaction. It rebuilt upon the shadow of the past. The World Trade Center, before and after the September 11 attacks, remains a symbol of world peace and perseverance …show more content…
Giuliani and U.S. President George W. Bush—pledged to quickly rebuild the World Trade Center site as an inspiring symbol of American resilience and triumph over terrorism” (“9/11: Rebuilding”). Within the decade, a new era rose from the ashes. A memorial was constructed at Ground Zero commemorating those who lost their lives in the attacks. As of 2016, architects designed and built three of the seven planned buildings to replace their previous counterparts. One World Trade Center, the tallest building in not only the United States but also the Western Hemisphere, is New York’s new pride and dominates the modern skyline. Often nicknamed the “Freedom Tower,” the 104-story skyscraper is made of 2,000 pieces of prismatic glass and stands at 1,776 feet tall, its height being a subtle tribute to the year that America won its independence (Fowler). The observation deck, at over 1,250 feet, offers dazzling views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey, and beyond, allowing the tourist to experience a sense of unity: the city is one, the nation is one, and the world is one. The new tower continues the old’s symbolic representation of world peace while soaring above the ruins of a catastrophic day in American