The correct answer to this open question is the following.
Given the present-day international and domestic environment is this emphasis still practical and workable?
Yes, absolutely, it is practical and workable. The rights of the American people are a top priority in a free and democratic society like the United States.
It is understandable that after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, US President George W. Bush has ordered the creation of the Homeland Security Department. But never to the expense of the liberties granted by the United States Constitution.
Furthermore, these liberties should never be suppressed or controlled by the federal government at the back of the citizens. Examples? When the federal government spied its citizens some administrations ago. The citizens knew that their phones were bugged many years later.
So yes, the Constitution is designed to preserve liberty. Americans have traditionally distrusted their perception of big government, and the American system puts a variety of limits on governmental authority and safeguards personal rights. That was exactly the plan when the founding fathers created the Bill of Rights.