In a comment that I made in a recent diary, I mentioned that I thought the Pope's visit was one of those rare moments in American history when a large number of Americans were truly given a feeling of great hope and joy and unity. I mentioned a few other moments as well. Let's take the jump and discuss a few more.
I'm not saying that EVERYONE had the feeling - just a large section of the population. Obama's stadium moment and the feeling for Hope and Change would certainly be another. The greatest in my lifetime was probably the moon landing, or maybe the Christmas Eve Bible quotations by Frank Borman as he and the Apollo 8 crew circled the moon. I remember many non-Christians saying that that was a moving moment for them, also. MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech would be another. For my father's generation, I would say that VE and VJ days were probably wildly joyful and unifying.
What days of history in our country do you consider to be hopeful, joyful and unifying for a large portion of our population? I'm curious to see what days others consider to be iconic in a positive way.