by Chad Clarke, Fort Collins High School
In this WebQuest 11th grade Advanced Placement U.S. History students will be playing the part of an advisor to the Secretary of Defense and will be comparing and contrasting the violent conflicts and wars that the United States has been involved in over the past century.
Introduction
It is September 12, 2001 and you are a top advisor to the United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It is the day after the now infamous attack was coordinated by the terrorist organization Al Qaeda on
U.S. soil which ending in unbelievable human casualties and destruction. You are called to a top secret meeting of the Presidents cabinet secretaries and only their most trusted advisors in an impenetrable bunker located underneath the Whitehouse.
During the meeting nations are identified that are known to harbor terrorists or could be potential threats to
U.S. national security. In particular the nations of
Afghanistan and
Iraq are singled out as potential targets for
U.S. military action. As the meeting progresses there are disagreements about how justified action against these two countries is.
Iraq is argued to be an insignificant threat by some at the meeting because of the lack of evidence connecting it to the attacks of the previous day. But others argue that recent efforts made by
Iraq to create nuclear arms place the nation in a threatening position. Afghanistan’s Taliban led government and evidence that the leaders of Al Qaeda are currently residing within its borders make the nation a far less contested target than Iraq, but nevertheless everyone is searching for a reasonable justification to the American people for military action against that nation to be pursued.
You look across the table as some of the most influential leaders in the free world bicker between each other about justification for war and how the American people would respond to one method of action over another. You calmly sit mulling over the issue at hand in you head. Suddenly you have an idea and before you can stop yourself you blurt out, "I think that we should look at history as a way to figure out if it would be justified to pursue military action against these countries." Everyone stops talking and immediately turns to you. President Bush then asks you "How do you expect to do that?"
You sit like a dear caught in the headlights. You never expected that anyone would hear your comment, much less ask you how to implement your idea. Now the entire executive branch of the
United States is waiting intently for you to come up with an idea for solving their dilemma. You feel the room shrinking around you and you squirm in your seat, when all of the sudden salvation comes in the form of Secretary of State Colin Powell piping in, "We could organize a project in which former United States military actions over the past century are analyzed and the justifications and popularity of them are identified and considered for our current situation."
"Sounds like a good idea" President Bush says as he turns back to you "I am putting you in charge of this project, kid; Secretary Powell will advise you on how it will be carried out, you will report back to us with your findings in two days."
You sit with your heart still beating at a million miles per hour almost oblivious to the rest of the meeting. All you can think about is how you are going to accomplish the task that you have been given by the President of the
United States. As soon as the meeting adjourns Secretary Powell walks over to you and says "It looks like you better get over to Library of Congress right now, I will have my secretary send you an email giving you the details of the project when you get there."
You jump up and head straight upstairs out of the White house and grab a cab across town to the Library of Congress.
