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. 

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 planspast public programs, and feature galleries on Inside the Collection.