On Saturday, the nation let out a four-year-old sigh. The Associated Press, the nation’s most reliable source for election results, finally called Pennsylvania for former Vice President Joe Biden. This pushed his total of electoral votes to 290, 20 more than the 270 needed to win the White House.

After years of anticipation, the United States of America will have a new Commander in Chief. One that people look to to provide safety, security, and most importantly, unity to the land of the free and home of the brave.

This outcome was not always a certainty. After the 2016 election many were hesitant to believe anyone could beat Trump. The polls had Biden almost nine points ahead of the President, but what did that matter? We had heard it all before.

However, this time it was different. Record voter turnout helped carry Biden to a twenty-five state, 290 electoral vote victory over Donald Trump (306 counting Georgia, where Biden currently leads despite a statewide recount).

Despite the convincing victory, this election was not without its fair share of controversies.

Allegations of voter fraud in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin dominated social media feeds, along with alleged ballot invalidation in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Trump supporters were seen yelling “Stop the count!” in states where Biden led and “count all votes” in others where the race was closer. Meanwhile, Trump has ordered investigations nationwide to scrutinize key battleground states; it seems to be nothing more than a desperate attempt to salvage his broken regime.

The days after the election seemed as divisive as ever. And yet, the speeches given by President elect Joe Biden and Vice President elect Kamala Harris on Saturday night had a much different tone.

The pair conveyed a sense of hope and unity which the nation has been missing these last four years. Harris opened the night with a beautiful speech promoting minorities and women in politics, shattering the glass ceiling, and promising to lay the groundwork for those that will follow in her footsteps. A truly inspirational blend of humility and confidence.

Then it was the former Vice President’s turn. President elect Biden refused to demonize the other side, instead choosing to rally all Americans and promising to work as hard for those who supported him as he would for those that opposed him.

A self-proclaimed “proud Democrat” Biden promised to be an all-American president, to work hard to unify a seemingly broken nation, especially after the events of the past year.

As the speech came to an end, there was a notable shift in tone surrounding the crowd. Suddenly, American flags hanging off the backs of trucks did not seem so bad. The fireworks ceased to be a statement of American power, but one of celebration. The nationalist rhetoric was replaced by a patriotic speech that emphasized exactly what the country needed to hear. A message of hope, that everyone, East Coast to West Coast, is seen and will be heard over the next four years.

It is important to remember that there is still work to do. It can be easy to be sucked into a sense of complacency after years of such a tumultuous and divisive administration, but the American people must remain vigilant.

The Biden-Harris administration must be subjected to scrutiny as well. They must be held accountable for their promises and atone for which they promised.

Strengthening our international institutions with a return to the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords is in order, as is criminal justice reform and an overhaul of institutions which systemically oppress minorities.

These were promises made and it is imperative that We the People hold our officials responsible for working toward the reasons of which they were elected.

It is not enough for Trump to be gone; we must fix the mess he will be leaving behind him.

Biden and Harris look up to the challenge, but only time will tell how they respond to it. There will be plenty of time to cheer as well as scrutinize as the new administration takes over. But for now, it is a good start, a step in the right direction.

Now, Americans have hope, something which has been in rare supply the last four years.