The 9/11 of 1859
As the trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the architect of the 9/11 attacks, looms, Horwitz says we should look at the parallels between John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 and Al Qaeda’s assault in 2001.
Tony Horwitz
12/2/2009
Brown believed he was chosen by God to destroy slavery, the size and make-up of his strike-force was similar to that of the 9/11 hijackers, he used covert backers, and the group used aliases and coded language. John Brown sought to free slaves, terrorize the South, and incite a broad conflict. The 9/11 terrorists sought to hobble America, and after eight years, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have killed nearly twice as many Americans as the hijackers did. And Americans domestic and foreign policy options will continue to be hobbled as it increases troops in Afghanistan.
Horwitz is the author of “Confederates in the Attic” and “A Voyage Long and Strange.” He is working on a book about John Brown’s raid.
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