Toward A More Perfect Union is a 22-minute discussion-starter video based on material shot for and included in the hour-long PBS Democracy Project program, Talk to Me: Americans in Conversation. It's a thought-provoking look at some critical questions, featuring a lively mix of archival materials, popular culture from handmade quilts to "Star Trek," and on- camera interviews with thoughtful, plain-speaking people — writers, historians and everyday folks from communities around the country, who share their own experiences and reflect on what it means to be an American today.

Specifically designed to get people talking, the video is divided into 4 short segments:

1. Starting where we are: Who are we?
2. Bonds and boundaries: What is community?
3. The idea of America: What ties us together?
4. Making a difference: What would be a more perfect union?

For well-focused conversations, we suggest that each of the 4 segments be screened and discussed one at a time.

For information on ordering Toward A More Perfect Union: An Invitation to Conversation and the accompanying resource guide, see the How To Order page.

Major funding for Toward A More Perfect Union: An Invitation to Conversation was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity. Additional support was provided by the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Surdna Foundation.