How 9/11 Changed New York—And America
This article reflects on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, contrasting the initial sense of national unity with the current state of political division in America. It explores how the tragedy shaped the nation's identity and how subsequent events have failed to replicate that collective spirit.
Why it matters
It provides a cultural and historical perspective on how a singular traumatic event can temporarily bridge deep societal divides and the long-term consequences of failing to sustain that unity.
The attacks 25 years ago inspired a sense of national unity. It has since been shattered.
Spectators visit New York’s National September 11 Memorial & Museum last month. September 9, 2026, 5:30 PM ET Share Save L ike most New Englanders of a certain generation, my parents viewed New York City with distrust. They associated their neighbor to the south with “The Bronx Is Burning,” Bernhard Goetz, blackouts, bankruptcy, and the famous New York Daily News headline Ford to City: Drop Dead . The heart of Manhattan was a decadent playground for the wealthy, while outlying neighborhoods were plagued by desperate poverty and violence. I grew up only 200 miles away, and yet my parents never took me there as a kid.
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