Threat leads to fear, that leads to paranoia, prejudice, discrimination or worse. They know what people under pressure are capable of- even freedom loving people. Our past should remind us to not only to be vigilant for our safety but also for the safety and security of the inalienable rights and freedoms of all Americans. Opinion polls conducted by the National Conference for Community and Justice found that many of us h old negative stereotypes about different ethnic groups (Kaplan 19). While we must be cautious, we must not let it turn into prejudice. We cannot allow the actions of a few determine our opinion of an entire group of people. Kaplan suggests, "To the extent that we voluntarily relinquish our freedom of speech, press, assembly and travel, we help our adversaries achieve their objective of paralyzing and dividing our nation," (19).
If an American responds with offense to the terrorist attacks on our country then it may be said that they display nationalism. Nationalism is a sense of devotion and loyalty a person feels, valuing one nation: its interests, laws, and cultures above those of other nations (Rubenstein 224). Our forefathers founded this nation so that they could be free to practice religion and culture without persecution. As the Declaration of Independence states, "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," (Declaration). The United States of America became known as the "land of the free" and welcomed people from all over the world who sought freedom within our borders. During the World Wars, communities became suspicious of those who did not speak English. Immigrants were encouraged to conform to English customs, a process of acculturation called Anglo-conformity (Brinkerhoff 220). Unfortunately, many Americans have responded to the September 11 attacks in a similar way.
