September 11, 2001, Documentary Project
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Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making: Examining Decisions of Ordinary Americans
While U.S. leaders clearly faced many decisions in the months and years following the terrorist attacks, ordinary people had to make many decisions as well. People had to make decisions in their personal lives—how to respond to the attacks, whether to fly again, what safety precautions to take, for instance—but many also faced important decisions in their work lives. The people listed below described work-related decisions they made or decisions made by others that affected them directly.
- Cindy Mediavilla, Los Angeles, California (go to 9:17 into interview)
- Beth Whedon, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Caroline Lederer, New York, New York (beginning of part 2 of the interview)
Listen to these interviews and identify the profession involved and the decision made in each. How was each decision necessitated by September 11? In what other professions might people have been asked to make decisions as a result of the terrorist attacks? Ask two adults whom you know whether their jobs were affected by September 11 and whether they had to make any decisions because of September 11. Share what you learned with your classmates. On the basis of the information you and your classmates have gathered, make a general statement about the kinds of decisions people faced in their work lives following September 11.