Becoming A More Perfect Union
- Charles I. Guarria
- Jul 8
- 2 min read
At the beginning of Steven Spielberg’s 2012 directed and produced movie, Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America is speaking with two African American soldiers. One of whom, Corporal Ira Clark, offers a pointed statement to the president.
“Now that white people have accustomed themselves to seeing negro men with guns fighting on their behalf, and even getting the same pay, in a few years perhaps they can abide the idea of negro lieutenants and captains. In fifty years, maybe a negro colonel. In a hundred years, the vote.”
Did you notice what is missing? Corporal Clark doesn’t bother asking about a future that has the US electing an African American president. That idea was so absurd at that moment, the scriptwriter must have thought it best not to have Mr. Clark broach the subject.
The corporal is a fictitious character fitted into the movie to represent a host of thoughts many people, both white and black, were most definitely pondering at that time.
Imagine if Mr. Clark was able to know that in 2008 an African American was elected president of the United States. He most assuredly would’ve believed that the country had resolved all race issues and, in that manner, the US had become a perfect union.
But race relations are not perfect.
Neither are gender issues, foreign policy, the military, the welfare state, and many more topics that have confronted the US throughout its history. These are but a few of the topics that leave United States citizens feeling that the country could be much more than it currently is.
What holds the US and other countries back from the mind’s eye vision of a perfect union?
It’s simple, really.
Countries are made up of these pesky creatures we call humans.
And from a social progress standpoint, humans are prone to changing the idea of perfection once the goal previously thought to be perfect is attained. It’s a “what’s next” trait, I suppose.
Put it this way: Society believes achieving X would be the epitome for topic Y. Once X is attained, folk begin thinking, wouldn’t it be great if topic Y could reach x²? Thus, reigniting the pursuit of perfection for topic Y.
You know who knew this and knew that any attempt to create a perfect union was beyond the scope of mere mortals—the Founding Fathers.
In particular, Gouverneur Morris. He is the gentleman who penned “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…”
Did you catch that? Mr. Morris didn’t write “a perfect Union,” he wrote “a more perfect Union.” Because he knew the idea of perfection for a country was too high a bar.
On the other hand, a “more perfect union” establishes the challenge of always attempting to improve society.
It’s a challenge that leads to progress, which makes the country thrive. It’s the hope that the challenge is achievable that keeps a country alive.
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Thought-provoking and well said! Our society seems to always be preoccupied with the fences that divide us and the greener grass in farther pastures. Keep writing!