American independence celebrates its 238th birthday today. Today, we mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence as a quaint bit of American history.

But the move was about as bold of a step imaginable.

At the time, the men who signed their names on 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, 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 that 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 upswell 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 in the country.

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.