OKLAHOMA CITY FEDERAL BUILDING BOMBING (FINAL)
Terrorism is one of the many severe threats to the safety of any population; it is a threat that refuses to leave the lives of Americans. According to the Almanac of Modern Terrorism, terrorism is defined as “unlawful use or threat of violence intended to intimidate or coerce a government, individuals, or groups to modify their behavior or policies” (Shafritz 263). It also involves violence towards the people who interfere with the terrorist organization’s objectives. Although terrorism destroys everything it touches, there are still those who deem it necessary to spread terrorism through committing crimes and even murders. One such horrifying example of terrorism is the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is considered the “deadliest act of terrorism within the United States prior to the events of September 11, 2001” (Kearns 67). The underlying causes of the bombing, the actual event itself, and its effects still frighten many people and leave them in suspense of another attack. The bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building was an intense act of terrorism that destroyed many lives and left the American people in shock.
The bombing was caused by a small group of men intent on harming the government. Once it was known that the horrid deed was perpetrated by Americans, the public was shocked because they first suspected foreign terrorist organization, and had no idea that the terrorists were living among them. Timothy McVeigh, the mastermind, and two other men, Michael Fortier and Terry Nichols, were involved in the bombing plot. In Douglas Linder’s biography of McVeigh’s life, it is easy to see why he may have committed such a horrendous act. At a young age, McVeigh’s parents divorced. Quite traumatized by this, he withdrew himself and became socially introverted. He was bullied by both the other people in his neighborhood and also by the people in school. This contributed to his growing hatred of bullies even into adulthood. He viewed weapons as the “great equalizer” since his pre-teen years and was often seen experimenting with different guns in his free time (Linder). He joined the Army, left with honorable discharge, and fell into periods of depression and thoughts of suicide. His depression turned to anger, however, and most of it was aimed at the government. His anger led him to participate in many bank robberies and other crimes in order to get money for anti-government projects.
The anger that Timothy McVeigh had for the government was brought on by the conflict between the Branch Davidians Group and the federal government in Waco, Texas in 1992 during a raid for illegal weapons. During this “disastrous confrontation,” agents from the federal government killed members of the group, which created intense controversy (Kearns 67). McVeigh felt that the agents were not being fair in their actions. He believed the federal government was a tyranny, and he wanted to take revenge for the government’s aggression. There are many theories regarding why McVeigh bombed the federal building in particular. The most prominent one involves McVeigh’s belief that the agents responsible for the Waco incident worked at the federal building. They did not, however. Regardless, he held a grudge for many years, slowly formulating a plan (Kearns 67).
On April 19, 1995 McVeigh and his partners bombed the federal building. They loaded up a rental truck with six thousand pounds of explosives made from fertilizer and motorcycle fuel, left it outside the building, and detonated it successfully. The blast killed 168 people, wounded more than eight hundred more people, and obliterated one third of the building (Kearns 67). It also demolished a nearby YMCA daycare center and hurt many children. It left a crater in the ground that was eight feet deep and thirty feet wide. The only thing that survived the bomb was an elm tree, appropriately named the Survival Tree and dedicated to the survivors.
Six weeks after the bombing, the rubble and remains of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building were torn down, and the site was grassed over so that the scar in the ground could not be seen. For the fifth anniversary, on April 19, 2000, a memorial opened up on site, and people still visit it today (Benson 1178).
In this example of terrorism, the terrorists were caught and had to face the consequences of their actions. McVeigh was arrested the same day of the bombing, and he was later sentenced to execution. Nichols turned himself in several days later, and he was given a life sentence in prison. McVeigh wanted a political rather than a criminal trial in order to make his case against the federal government in regard to their actions at Ruby Ridge and Waco. However, he was never given it and was executed on June 11, 2001 (Linder). He gave no final statement before his death, yet he left a handwritten copy of the poem Invictus with the final lines being, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” (Linder).
The impact of this terrorist attack, and each other attack that occurs stimulates public panic, which is the terrorists’ goal. However, the American public must stay strong and realize that there will be a day when the United States is no longer threatened by terrorism.
Works Cited
Benson, Sonia, Daniel Brannen Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing." Gale Student
Resources in Context. (2008): 1178. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.
Kearns, Trevor C. Terrorism. New York: Chelsea House, 2010. 67. eBook.
Linder, Douglas O. "the Oklahoma City Bombing and the Trial of Timothy McVeigh." n. page. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.
Shafritz, Jay, EF Gibbons, and Gregory Scott. Almanac of Modern Terrorism. New York City: Facts on File, Inc., 1991. 263. Print.