Article Five, clause two of the United States Constitution .
states, "under the Authority of the United States, [the Constitution] .
shall be the supreme law of the land." As a result of the fact that .
the current activist government is pursuing inconsistent policies, .
many believe the Constitution has become irrelevant because no guiding .
principles seem to exist. Thomas Jefferson once said, "The.
Constitution belongs to the living and not to the dead." Accordingly, .
it is often referred to as a "living" document because of its regular .
alteration and reexamination; therefore, the Constitution has not .
become irrelevant in defining the goals of American government. This .
will be shown by examining how the Constitution ensures and upholds .
American ideas of rights, defines governmental structures, allows for .
an increase in governmental growth, and permits the Supreme Court to .
shape and define public policy through Constitutional.
interpretation.
Through years of research on court cases, political scientists .
are in agreement that most people favor rights in theory, but their .
support diminishes when the time to put the rights into practice .
arrives. For example, a strong percentage of Americans concur with .
the idea of free speech throughout the United States, but when a court .
case such as Texas vs. Johnson (1989) arises, most backing shifts away .
from complete freedom of speech. In the case, a Texan named Gregory .
Johnson set fire to an American flag during the 1984 Republican.
National Convention in Dallas in order to protest nuclear arms .
buildup; the decision was awarded to Johnson in the midst of stern .
opposition (Beth 68). .
Lockean philosophy concerning the natural rights of man also .
serves amajor role in an American's idea of rights. Many citizens .
feels that it is the task of the state to preserve such birthrights as .
life, liberty, and property. The juristic theory of rights deals with .
