Kadadevarmath 1
Gagan Kadadevarmath
Mr. Kelly
Honors Sophomore Literature & Composition
29 January 2018
375 Words
Working Title: TSA: The “Security” Administration
Working Thesis: In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the government and the TSA used unnecessary amounts of surveillance and monitoring to take Americans’ freedom in return for security: something the TSA hasn’t done well of doing.
Section One: How different airport security was before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and how the attacks ultimately led the government to creating the TSA, and what they said their primary goal was at first.
Before the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, many airports throughout the nation contained a surprisingly low amount of restrictions and their overall security was quite lenient. People were allowed to bring almost anything they wanted onto their flights, such as “baseball bats, box cutters, darts, knitting needles and scissors” (O’Connor). These relaxed restrictions were mainly due to the Federal Aviation Administration, who controlled security in airports at that time, and how the FAA did not consider those items to be dangerous or menacing. Also during the pre-TSA era, most airports did not contain high powered metal detectors, which led to many small blades and sharp objects to also be allowed onto planes. However, on September 11, 2001, the United States suffered a devastating terrorist attack when two aircrafts crashed into the World Trade Center, causing panic and sadness through many Americans. A few months after the 9/11 attacks, the TSA was created on November 19, 2001 after President George W. Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which “authorized the creation of a new federal government agency specifically designed...