While the term "homeland security" was not part of the American lexicon until after 9/11, the concept of securing our homeland and borders from terrorism and disasters has long existed in U.S. history, albeit under the guise of different names and government agencies. During the Cold War, the country was focused on the concept of "civil defense" and protecting our citizens from the military threat of a nuclear attack. In the realm of natural disasters, the federal government had been responding to hurricanes, earthquakes, and industrial accidents for decades and has provided states and localities with some form of disaster assistance going back as far back as 1803. Although Americans tend to view terrorism at home as a post 9/11 threat, it is not a new phenomenon. In February of 1993, a truck bomb was detonated in the underground garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six and injuring more than a thousand people. In April of 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed, killing 168 people. Perhaps it was the extended passing of time without any incidents, but on September 10, 2001, most Americans did not anticipate the new world our country would face the next day. The events of 9/11 however, had not been entirely unforeseen. Read the monograph. Thank you to Council member Deloitte for sponsoring this monograph.