So I am currently writing a rhetorical analysis paper on President Bush's Sept. 20th state of the union address, and I am trying to provide as much context as possible. My question is: How much did the U.S. see terrorism as a threat pre-9/11? Was it on the radar of an average American? Did Americans know who Osama Bin Laden was before this, or was he first introduced in the wake of the attacks? Thank you for your help!
Hi OP, be aware that this sub has a "20 year rule" against discussing current affairs. As such, any answers will be restricted to events/conditions up to 1997 only. If you are looking for more recent info, you might try a sub specializing in international relations, e.g. /r/geopolitics, perhaps /r/AskSocialScience.
Not to nit-pick but the Sept. 20th address was not a State of the Union. It was an extraordinary joint session of Congress that was called by Bush in accordance with section 3 of Article 2.
To answer your question Americans were aware of Osama Bin Laden prior to 2001. Please look at the first World Trade Center Terrorist attack in 1993. Other events occurred after 1997 that made Americans aware of him.