Read the statement on the US Constitution delivered by Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice on the Supreme Court.[T]he government they [the founders] devised was defective from the start, requiring several amendments, a civil war, and momentous social transformation to attain the system of constitutional government, and its respect for individual freedoms, and human rights, we hold fundamental today.”–Thurgood Marshall, May 6, 1987
Answer
A
It has not required any changes over the years.
B
It has promoted equal opportunity for all from the start.
C
It has not always upheld the ideals of the Constitution.
D
It was flawed from the beginning and cannot be fixed.
Explanation
Marshall says the government created by the founders was defective at first and needed amendments, a civil war, and major social change to better protect individual freedoms and human rights. This supports the idea that the government has not always upheld constitutional ideals. Choice C is correct; choice D goes too far because Marshall describes changes that helped improve the system.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.