"This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper."
—Franklin D. Roosevelt

The immediate, horrible shock of 9-11 is now behind us, even though we remember the shock all too well. But Americans are still asking fundamental questions about what terrorist attacks will mean to their lives, their families, their nation. Betting on America places the events of 9-11 in historical context, offering a thoughtful, realistic, and ultimately optimistic vision of America’s new future.

The authors find in American history one lesson, repeated again and again: when we are challenged, we find the strengths and the leadership that enable us to prevail. They remind us of moments like Fort Sumter and Pearl Harbor: the immediate traumas, the national mobilization that followed, and the ways national crises like these challenged the United States to achievements that were previously unimaginable.

Along the way, the authors shed new light on the questions that are agonizing Americans: Will we ever feel safe again? Why did this happen? What do the reasons behind terrorism tell us about how we must respond? And what new and hopeful opportunities can we find in the tragedy of 9-11—both as individuals and as citizens?