The Liberty Bell Rings
In Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell rings out
from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence
Hall), summoning citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of
Independence, by Colonel John Nixon. On July 4, the historic document was
adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress meeting in the State House.
However, the Liberty Bell, which bore the apt biblical quotation, “Proclaim
Liberty Throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof,” was not rung
until the Declaration of Independence returned from the printer on July 8.
In 1751, to commemorate the 50-year
anniversary of Pennsylvania’s original constitution, the Pennsylvania
Provincial Assembly ordered the 2,000-pound copper and tin bell constructed.
After being cracked during a test, and then recast twice, the bell was hung
from the State House steeple in June 1753. Rung to call the Pennsylvania
Assembly together and to summon people for special announcements and events, it
was also rung on important occasions, such as when King George III ascended to
the throne in 1761 and to call the people together to discuss Parliament’s
controversial Stamp Act of 1765. With the outbreak of the American Revolution
in April 1775, the bell was rung to announce the battles of Lexington and
Concord. Its most famous tolling was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned
Philadelphia citizens for the first reading of the Declaration of Independence.
As the British advanced toward Philadelphia in
the fall of 1777, the bell was removed from the city and hidden in Allentown to
save it from being melted down by the British and used for cannons. After the
British defeat in 1781, the bell was returned to Philadelphia, which was the
nation’s capital from 1790 to 1800. In addition to marking important events,
the bell tolled annually to celebrate George Washington’s birthday on February
22, and Independence Day on July 4. In 1839, the name “Liberty Bell” was first
coined in a poem in an abolitionist pamphlet.
The question of when the Liberty Bell acquired
its famous fracture has been the subject of a good deal of historical dispute.
In the most commonly accepted account, the bell suffered a major break while
tolling for the funeral of the chief justice of the United States, John
Marshall, in 1835, and in 1846 the crack expanded to its present size while in
use to mark Washington’s birthday. After that date, it was regarded as
unsuitable for ringing, but it was still ceremoniously tapped on occasion to
commemorate important events. On June 6, 1944, when Allied forces invaded
France, the sound of the bell’s dulled ring was broadcast by radio across the
United States.
In 1976, the Liberty Bell was moved to a new
pavilion about 100 yards from Independence Hall in preparation for America’s
bicentennial celebrations.