President Bush Declares National Emergency on Terrorism
Three days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon building, President George W. Bush declared a national emergency regarding terrorism.
Officially, it was the “Declaration of National Emergency by Reason of Certain Terrorist Attacks.” See also the separate entry on this day for the Joint Resolution on Use of Force, which provided the basis for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
Until 1976, national emergencies had no time limits. That changed in 1976, with the National Emergencies Act, passed on September 14, 1976. Between 1976 and the spring of 2021, a total of 70 national emergencies were declared; 37 had expired and 30 were still in effect. Under the law, each emergency has to be renewed annually by the president. Between the years 1917 (World War I) and 1971, a total of only seven national emergencies were declared. The 1976 National Emergencies Act terminated all previous national emergencies.
Read the full Declaration: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=61760#axzz2hjuQNcFD
Read: Susan Herman, Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy (2011)
Read the ACLU Report on the state of civil liberties “Ten Years After 9/11”: https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/acalltocourage.pdf
Read the Congressional Reference Service Report (linked here): Harold Relyea, National Emergency Powers (2006, updated 2020)