The Department of Homeland Security (The U.S. Government: How It Works)

In the wake of September 11, 2001, the U.S. government felt the need to establish a special department to handle national security - the Department of Homeland Security. But the idea of national security is not a recent concept, and terrorism is not a new concern. Many Americans think the 9/11 attacks ushered in a whole new danger to the country. In truth, every generation of Americans has experienced some worry that they might be attacked in their homes; even the first colonists feared for their safety. In those days, protecting the homeland mainly meant defending towns and borders from hostile Native American groups. Modern technology allows terrorists to wreak havoc on a much wider scale, but these early experiences planted the first seeds of national security. "The Department of Homeland Security" traces the history of the efforts to maintain national security in the United States and explains how one of the government's newest and most crucial departments is organized.