Americans are patriotic.

Until Sunday night, I knew this to be true from 19 years of Fourth of July celebrations and 11 Olympic Games. I knew it when I said the Pledge of Allegiance every day in grade school. I knew it when I sang the National Anthem before sporting events.

But the most prominent display of patriotism I had experienced before Sunday was the reaction to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. I was too young then to understand the severity of the situation, but I knew it had to be bad if both my parents were home from work early and we had a half-day of school. I didn’t know then what it would bring for my country for the next decade: two wars in the name of freedom, thousands of men and women killed overseas and a generation of Americans used to intense security and constant “threat levels.”

What I did know was American pride. Our nation, shocked by hate, suddenly found solace in each others’ patriotism. Citizens found pride and resilience from flying flags outside their homes and tying yellow ribbons around trees. But we also found solidarity against a common enemy.

Nearly 10 years later, that enemy has been shot. The face of a fractionalized movement against America, who had been in hiding for years, has finally been found and killed. In one man’s death, America’s patriotism, which had faded over the years, returned with a vengeance.

Like many people, I first heard the news from social networking. Within seconds, students at the Les Aspin Center for Government in Washington, D.C. stopped studying for exams and became glued to the TV, waiting on every word of our favorite partisan news networks.

And then it occurred to us — we are two miles from the White House. We should go.

So we did. We hustled there as fast as we could, along with hundreds of other D.C. residents. Shouts of “America!” and car horns infiltrated the streets. The city, normally quiet and dark on a Sunday night, became alive with pride, and the closer we got to the White House, the lighter the city became. It was like we were at a concert, with hundreds of camera flashes going off from both major media outlets and college kids’ iPhones.

There, ten years later, Americans came together again. This time, not because of tragedy, but because of victory. Approximately 2,500 people, adorned in red, white and blue, showed their support in their nation’s capital. Patriotic songs broke out as people jumped on each other’s backs and climbed trees and light posts with flags tied around their necks like capes.

That night, we were truly a super nation. That night, we were proud.

It does seem odd that such feelings of patriotism flowed through the veins of young America because of someone’s death, but for the first time since this semester began, there was no argument over partisan politics, although I’m sure there will be in the coming weeks. For now, though, we have found a commonality through success, even if success came 10 years late and because of a death.

I don’t know what Osama bin Laden’s demise means for the United States. I don’t know if it will make a difference in the outcome of the wars, if we can get out of Afghanistan or Iraq quicker, or even if we can stay united in this pride.

But I do know that on Sunday night, standing with hundreds of others in front of the White House, I was very proud to be American.

Kelly White is a junior in the College of  Communication