Liberty Bell

Lore & Background

The bell was commissioned in 1752 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly from the London-based firm Lester and Pack, later renamed the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It first cracked when rung after its arrival in Philadelphia, and was twice recast by local workmen John Pass and John Stow. In its early years, the bell was used to summon lawmakers and alert citizens. It is likely that the Liberty Bell was among the bells in Philadelphia to ring on July 8, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was first read to the public, although no contemporary account of the ringing is known to exist. The association of the bell with the American Revolution did not begin until 1847, a decade after it was adopted by the abolitionists. It acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the first half of the 19th century—a widespread story claims it cracked while ringing after the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. During the Revolutionary War, the bell was hidden under floor boards in Zion United Church of Christ in Allentown, Pennsylvania, during the British occupation of Philadelphia.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered the South Philadelphia night, but the crowd at Citizens Bank Park refused to leave. In the bottom of the ninth, down by two runs with two outs, the stadium fell silent save for the rhythmic thud of bats against gloves. A young fan in the lower deck pulled a small replica of the Bell from his pocket, tapping it gently as he whispered a prayer to the city's oldest icon. As the batter connected, sending the ball soaring toward the left-field wall, a roar erupted that seemed to vibrate through the very foundations of the ballpark. It was a sound not just of victory, but of redemption, proving once again that even a cracked bell could ring loud enough to shatter a century of silence.

Reader's Guide

The Liberty Bell is located across the street from Independence Hall in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia. It was moved from its longtime home in Independence Hall to a nearby glass pavilion in 1976, and then to the larger Liberty Bell Center adjacent to the pavilion in 2003. The bell has been featured on coins and stamps, and its name and image have been widely used by corporations.

Did You Know?

• The bell was commissioned in 1752 and first cracked when rung after its arrival.
• It was recast twice by local workmen John Pass and John Stow.
• The bell was hidden in Allentown, Pennsylvania, during the British occupation of Philadelphia in the Revolutionary War.
• The inscription reads 'Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof Lev. XXV. v X.'
• The bell acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the first half of the 19th century, possibly in 1835.