Paul Revere's "Sons of Liberty Bowl" - why does it mention the "Bill of Rights"?

by Pseu

Earlier this week I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and happened upon an exhibition of one of four surviving copies of the original Magna Carta, along with several American objects illustrating the importance of the MC in American history. One of these objects was Paul Revere's Sons of Liberty Bowl, created in 1768. Twin flags on this bowl read "Magna Charta" and "Bill of Rights".

Now, either Paul Revere was a time-travelling alien -OR- the Bill of Rights being referred to here is something other than the familiar "1st 10 Amendments to the US Constitution". Googling finds me what looks like a prime candidate in this Act passed by Parliament in 1689.

So, Historians of AskHistorians, I guess what I'm asking is:

  • Have I found the correct BoR that Paul Revere was referring to?
  • At the time, was this BoR thought particularly important to the American cause? (I've never heard of it before, but, then, I've never heard of a lot of things.)
  • What other influences might this BoR have had on the development of American (or other ex-British colonial) political structures and thought?
BuffaloBillsDefunct

As much as I would like to believe Revere was a time-traveling alien, he is referencing the 1689 English Bill of Rights as you pointed out. The short version is yes, the English Bill of Rights was very important to the Americans, even before the Revolution and the push for independence. The English Bill of Rights came about after the Glorious Revolution, which deposed the king and replaced the monarchy with a constitutional monarchy. The Bill of Rights, as your link also explains, provided basic rights for English men, and that included colonists. The US Bill of Rights is based on the 1689 version.