After a long and passionate Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally last Tuesday in New Hampshire. "In these stressful times for our country, this election must be about bringing our people together, not dividing us up," said Sanders.

While some applauded the move by the Vermont senator, others, including Sanders' most ardent supporters, lashed out at the man they hoped would continue to lead their political revolution.

Some of these strong Sanders supporters were shocked and surprised by the move, despite Sanders saying from the beginning that he would ultimately support whoever won the Democratic primary. The emotions expressed by these voters were ones of betrayal and disbelief. Many felt Sanders was giving up on the political revolution so many had believed in.

The reaction by these Sanders supporters is completely understandable, but to defend Sanders, there were many practical reasons why he was forced to do this.

First, Clinton had more delegates than Sanders, both pledged and unpledged. Of course, how fraudulent and flawed the Democratic primary was can be another point of contention, but by now it is over and done with. No one is going to go back and look over the whole plethora of problems that took place in a number of states' primaries.

So with that undemocratic delegate math, the Democratic National Convention was going to be an uphill battle for Sanders and ultimately just be symbolic.

Second, there is a fundamental disagreement in the beliefs of Sanders and his more zealous supporters. Sanders plan at this point will now be to force his way into the Democratic Party and push its platform further to the left. His more zealous supporters on the other hand do not see that as possible -- the Democratic party has too strong an establishment to be pushed.

While this is true, one cannot deny the power Sanders yields at this moment in time. Even as the loser, he has a millions and millions of supporters around the country. These supporters are aware, active and ready to follow their leader and fight for their ideas.

Whereas in the past, the senator from the small state of Vermont could only have such a loud voice in the U.S. Congress, now the presidential candidate has had the national spotlight and it won't soon fade. An unknown at the beginning of this election is now a household name.

Sanders supporters are now at a crossroads. Some will vote for Clinton, feeling that she is the lesser of two evils as opposed to Donald Trump. Some will vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, as she is the last true progressive in the race.

Some will write in Sanders as a protest vote. Some might also just stay home on election day, continuing the fine American tradition of disillusioned voters and politically inactive citizens.

But Sanders supporters should not give up nor should they feel disheartened. As Sanders himself said, this was more that just the campaign of one individual. This was a movement of millions of people. Just because Sanders has lost the primary, does not mean the political revolution is over. No, it is just starting.