People cheer for rescue and recovery workers heading to and from Ground Zero. Photo by Chris Cawley.
Solidarity After 9/11
How did people come together in the aftermath of 9/11?
The urge to mourn alongside others brought people together throughout New York City, across the country, and around the world. People gathered in parks and town halls, on college campuses, and in places of worship. Spontaneous memorials appeared in town squares, on roadside billboards, and outside firehouses and police stations. People of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities also found meaning in public service after the 9/11 attacks. Volunteers flocked to lower Manhattan from around the country to provide assistance. Some signed on with organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, while others volunteered independently. Across the country, many people channeled their emotions by enlisting in the military, founding charities, contributing to philanthropic causes, or helping those in need in other ways.
Primary Sources
These primary resources include speeches, executive orders, legislative acts and debates, and government reports.
May 30, 2002
Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao on End of Recovery at the World Trade Center Site
Statement by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Ceremony Marking End of Recovery at the World Trade Center Site
September 11, 2002
Statement of H.E. Mr. Jan Kavan General Assembly of the United Nations President at September 11 "Ceremony of Remembrance"
Remarks by Georgi Parzanov, the President of Bulgaria and that month's President of the United Nations Security Council
Speech by NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson
Suggested Reading List
The Little Chapel That Stood
A.B. Curtiss. OldCastle Publishing, 2003.
(Preschool–Grade 3)
My Yellow Balloon
Tiffany Papageorge (author), Erwin Madrid (illustrator). Minoan Publishing, 2014.
(Preschool–Grade 3)
September 12: We Knew Everything Would Be All Right
Masterson Elementary Students. Tangerine Press, 2002.
(Grades 1–2)
Faces of Ground Zero: Portraits of the Heroes of September 11, 2001
Joe McNally. Time Inc., 2002.
Women at Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion
Susan Hagan and Mary Carouba. Alpha Books, 2002.
The Day the World Came to Town
Jim DeFede. Regan Books, 2002.
Nine Months at Ground Zero
Glenn Stout and Charles Vitchers. Scribner, 2006.
Report from Ground Zero
Dennis Smith. Viking, 2002.
Related Resources
These related resources include lesson plans, past public programs, and feature galleries on Inside the Collection.