It has been 25 years since the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Everyone remembers where they were when they learned about the hijackings, how the Twin Towers were struck by commercial airliners, then the Pentagon and finally how heroic passengers stopped Flight 93 from arriving at its intended target.
Each person knows the feelings of shock, grief and anger that followed. It was one of the darkest moments in American history.
But the tragedy also produced national unity.Hours after the attacks, around 150 members of Congress from both parties spontaneously sang "God Bless America" together on the Capitol steps. It wasn’t planned. Someone started singing and the others joined in. Democrats and Republicans showed the country we are Americans first.
Fast forward to now. Partisan animosity. Institutional distrust. Ideological polarization. We can barely talk to each other about politics and current events.
But this weekend we can remember the time when the country came together and ask: Can we get back to that?
