Make a detailed outline

“After September 11th” Manuscript speech – Sample Outline

Specific Purpose: To inform my listeners about the speech given by George W. Bush, after the terrorist strikes against the United States on September 11, 2001. Comment by Prof KG: This uses the formula we discussed: General Purpose + your reference for the listeners + of what you are speaking.

Central Idea: On September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush delivered a televised address to Congress regarding the status of the investigation into the attacks of 9/11/01.

Introduction Comment by Prof KG: Labelled and followed by symbolization then repeated in the Conclusion

1) America has always been a strong country, united through tough times to overcome and build a stronger homeland for lovers of freedom and justice.

2) On September 9, 2001 America suffered one of the worst tragedies to occur on its soil.

a) The Twin Towers in New York City, and The Pentagon, in Washington, DC were hit by hijacked airplanes.

b) In addition, a hijacked airplane that was heading to hit the White House, was taken down in a field in Pennsylvania, by its brave passengers.

c) These acts resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people.

3) To this day, the acts on 9/11/01 still remain a thumb in the eye of most Americans, and have resulted in many changes to our way of life to ensure that no such event will ever happen again.

4) President George W. Bush, had the duty to speak about the events of that day, with America in so much pain from the terrorist attacks, and those who planned the attacks feeling so much triumph.

Connective: On 9/20/01, President Bush delivered the following words, to Congress and to all those who were affected by the 9/11 acts of terror. (transition) Comment by Prof KG: FYI: This is the type of connective. When preparing your outline, you do NOT have to indicate the type of connective, just use the label Connective: and type what you intend to say.

Body Comment by Prof KG: Labelled, and the Outline format follows, using the pattern Roman Number, Capital Letter, Arabic Number, lower-case letter (all followed by periods)

I. “On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country. Americans have known wars, but for the past 136 years they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941. Americans have known the casualties of war, but not at the center of a great city on a peaceful morning.

A. Americans have known surprise attacks, but never before on thousands of civilians.

B. All of this was brought upon us in a single day, and night fell on a different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack.

C. Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, "Who attacked our country?"”

Connective: He then went on to explain exactly who was responsible. (Internal Preview)

II. “Al-Qaida is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is not making money. Its goal is remaking the world and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.

A. The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics; a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam.

B. This group and its leader, a person named Osama bin Laden, are linked to many other organizations in different countries, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

C. They are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan, where they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction.”

D. The leadership of al-Qaida has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan we see al-Qaida's vision for the world. Afghanistan's people have been brutalized, many are starving and many have fled.”

Connective: After identifying the perpetrators, President Bush went on to issue the following warning. (transition)

III. “By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder. And tonight the United States of America makes the following demands on the Taliban.

A. Deliver to United States authorities all of the leaders of al-Qaida who hide in your land.

B. Release all foreign nationals, including American citizens you have unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers in your country. Close immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist and every person and their support structure to appropriate authorities.

C. Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make sure they are no longer operating.

D. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate.”

Connective: He ended with the assurances to American Muslims, and Muslims around the world that their faith is not to blame. (Internal Preview)

IV. “I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. Comment by Prof KG: Notice that the entire Main Idea and Subpoints come directly from the speech manuscript that I selected, and are set off by quotation marks. My Intro, Connectives and Conclusion are my words, and, therefore, are not set off by quotations marks. Wherever you use your own words in the Prep Outline, do not set them off with quotation marks.

A. We respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends.

B. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.

C. The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself.”

Connective: The purpose of this speech was to soothe the anxiety felt by millions of Americans and people around the world, and to focus their resolve against those responsible. (Internal Summary)

Conclusion

1) In conclusion (signpost), the events that took place on September 11, 2001, like the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, stunned and wounded America.

2) To this day, we still remember the tragic events, and take the steps to try to ensure that no such event will take place again, though attempts have been made.

3) With his “After September 11th” speech to Congress, George W. Bush, sought to rebuild American resolve, by summarizing the results of the investigation, which resulted in the War on Terror.

Works Cited

Baker, Peter and Michael D. Shear. (22 August 2014). "U.S. weighs direct military action against ISIS in Syria.” The New York Times. Web. 9 Sept. 2014

Bush, George W. "Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the United States Response to the Terrorist Attacks of September 11," United States Congress. Washington, DC. September 20, 2001. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. Web. 14 Sept. 2014

<http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=64731>

Calamur, Krishnadev. "ISIS: An Islamist Group Too Extreme Even for Al-Qaida". National Public Radio. Radio. 12 Sept. 2014.

Matthew, J. Morgan. The Impact of 9/11 on Politics and War: The Day that Changed Everything?. New York: Macmillan, 2009. Print.