America celebrated 238 years of independence last weekend. The Declaration of Independence was a landmark document marking a new direction in the history of the world.

At the time, the men who signed their names to the document knew they would either become the forefathers of a new nation or they would be signing their own death warrants if the British prevailed.

Fortunately for us, their fierce desire to be free and create a new kind of government ultimately proved victorious.

Throughout America’s history, we cycle through periods of deep patriotism — Pearl Harbor, VE Day, Persian Gulf War, 9/11 — followed by periods of apathy.

We’re in one of those apathetic troughs right now. Most Americans dislike government’s ineffectiveness and in some ways, the nation is more divided than ever on many issues.

But like brothers and sisters who fight like cats and dogs together, but become fierce defenders of one another when outsiders attack, America still rallies when the chips are down.

Who among us can forget the enormous swell of patriotism in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks? The nation was awash in red, white and blue. It was a beautiful sight to see, and one we hope would become more normal during the period between tragedies and conflicts the country faces.

The small band of men who gambled their lives and livelihoods with a stroke of their signature to create our country would be amazed at how far we’ve come and yet how much further we have to go to reach their idealized dream set forth in the Declaration of Independence more than two centuries ago.