Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States government launched a “war on terror.” A highly controversial aspect of this campaign was the use of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques to obtain information from detainees, which critics argued was torture. This interactive timeline chronicles pivotal moments in the public’s understanding of the debate over those actions as officials attempted to build a legal and moral case for their use. Explore the videos, documents and pop culture influences to understand this period in American history.

Educators, check out our “Teaching About 9/11” Education Collection.


Poll graph created by Britney Dennison, Lisa Hale, Codi Hauka, and Peter W. Klein