The English constitution is an evolved one while the American constitution is an enacted one. From an absolute monarchy, the English people brought about a change in the sovereignty to Crown-in-parliament, though the process took several centuries. In a sense, the American constitution is the fruition of the struggle of the people to dispense with the monarchy and privileged aristocracy and it is the voice of an authentic Republic. The English people who were subjects changed it by even determining who could be the King or Queen, i.e., made the King or Crown subject to the authority of the people. A very brief comparison of these two great documents is instructive.
The English Bill of Rights and the American Declaration of Independence both condemned the King for violating the rights of the people. The former accused him of subverting the law of the land and for wicked ways while the latter denounced him as a tyrant who had no regard for the established rights of the people. The Bill of Rights in England went to the extent of deposing one King: the Americans dispensed with Kingship altogether. They did not want to perpetuate the Catholic rule in England. The Americans enshrined freedom of religious faith and also stressed the great principle of equality of all human beings which would be loudly proclaimed in the French Revolution and pave the way for great changes in Europe and later in other parts of the world.
Both the documents relied on the supremacy of the law of the land over anything else. Due process of law was sought to be re-established. The value of freedom of life, liberty and property was recognized as paramount and it was made clear the government rested on the consent of the governed. Both stressed the revenue of the land could be raised only with the consent of the people. The armies were organized only with the approval of the people. In short, the sovereign nature of the people was unassailable and inviolable. Both serve as beacon light for freedom, liberty and equality.
Reference
Bill of Rights (1689) England, 1786, In Congress the Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America – Bill of Rights.