Toward a more perfect union

Toward a more perfect union is a phrase used in American political discourse. It is a slight rephrasing of the second clause of the Preamble to [the United States Constitution], "in order to form a more perfect union." The phrase is used rhetorically to convey an idea that the United States remains an unfinished work-in-progress and that achieving the lofty goals espoused by the American founding documents demands continuing effort. According to one cultural history of the country's pre-revolutionary era,