On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked commercial airplanes and crashed them into buildings in New York and Washington, D.C. Most famously, this caused two skyscrapers, called the World Trade Center, to collapse. In all, nearly 3,000 people were killed by the attacks.
After the attacks, patriotism was high in the country. People displayed American flags everywhere, and many expressed their love of the country. In some cases these feelings for the country were expressed as nationalism and ethnocentrism.
Some people began distrusting and even attacking American Muslims (and other ethnic groups who looked similar to Arabs), since all of the hijackers on September 11 were Muslim fundamentalists. Some people also reacted by firmly supporting the decisions of leading politicians, such as President George W. Bush. Bush initiated many controversial actions and policies, such as going to war in Iraq, and many people protested these decisions. Around that time, a popular country music group named the Dixie Chicks was one group protesting Bush’s push for war with Iraq. At a concert, one of them said that she was ashamed of President Bush and ashamed that he came from the band’s home state of Texas. Many people reacted angrily, and started protesting at Dixie Chicks concerts. Some radio DJ’s were fired for playing Dixie Chicks music on the radio, and some Americans even made death threats against the band members. Though people did not stay angry and the Dixie Chicks are once again well-liked, these experiences were very difficult for them and for many of the people involved.