After reading Martha Crenshaw's essay on The Causes of Terrorism, thoughts arose that allowed me to examine the causes of terrorism from an entirely new perspective. It took away my preconceived ideas and feelings towards terrorism and really allowed me to approach the subject from a balanced perspective. I found this appealing because I have never been able to understand how there could be rational justifications for such a harsh reality. This really motivated me to try to better understand such a complex topic. This essay explained the contexts of terrorism, reasons for terrorism, and individual motivation and participation. These three things made me think of America before the Constitution, before equal rights were provided to all individuals. These privileges were not free; we had to fight for them. In a context of terrorism, the author spoke about subgroups of larger populations who may be discriminated against or repressed and not given equal opportunities for political participation. These particular situations can be conducive to terrorist organization and activities. These are some of the same contexts for the causes of wars in American history, from the American Revolution to the Civil War. During the American Revolution, fighters for their cause were not considered terrorists, although they participated in what was then considered unconventional warfare that most today consider a personality of terrorism. The reasons for terrorism are more complex. One of the intentions of a terrorist organization may be to provoke a counter-reaction from the government, increase publicity for the terrorist cause, and demonstrate that criticism of the regime is justified. The terrorists intend to force the State to show its true repressive face, thus pushing the people into the arms of its challengers. The attacks of September 11, 2001 are an excellent example of this. After these attacks, Americans were outraged and moved. We had to act to avenge the lives lost and guarantee our national security. Everyone seemed vulnerable, more than ever. America's fight against terrorism led to the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and at the same time, America attempted to spread democracy to previously undemocratic countries. Al-Qaeda's intention to instill fear in its target population was only the beginning of what they did. were able to accomplish. Al-Qaeda showed the world that its criticism of America's attempt to impose democracy around the world was justified..