For the past couple decades, my block has hosted a party to celebrate our nation’s birth, replete with all the typical summertime Americana: seed-spitting contests; red, white, and blue bicycle parades; a Batman bounce house (which is our contribution as the parents of two young boys). It’s a scene that plays out in neighborhoods across the country.  

This holiday unfailingly brings us together. But why? Why do fireworks and barbecues unite us in early July? Because we’re all different.