The Liberty Bell

Since the 4th of July is just around the corner I thought a little information about the Liberty Bell was in order, to remind us why we rang this bell and still celebrate this day.

Did you know...
The Liberty Bell got it's crack in March 1753 when the bell was hung from temporary scaffolding in the square outside the State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was rung to try out the sound.

To the dismay of onlookers, the bell cracked. Isaac Norris, speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, wrote "I had the mortification to hear that it was cracked by a stroke of the clapper without any other violence as it was hung up to try the sound."

While waiting for a replacement the bell was rebuilt by John Dock Pass and John Stow of Philadelphia, whose surnames appear inscribed on the bell. Pass and Stow added copper to the composition of the alloy used to cast the bell, and the tone of the new bell proved unsatisfactory. The two recast the bell yet again, restoring the correct balance of metal, and this third bell was hung in the steeple of the State House in June 1753.

The Liberty Bell, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a bell that has served as one of the most prominent symbols of the American Revolutionary War. It is a familiar symbol of independence within the United States and has been described as an international icon of liberty and justice.

According to tradition, its most famous ringing occurred on Monday, July 8,1776, to summons people to the State House. There the Declaration of Independence was "proclaimed" (read aloud) by Col.John Nixon of the Philadelphia Committee of Safety.

The bell had also been rung to announce the opening of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and after the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Historians today consider this highly doubtful, as the steeple in which the bell was hung had deteriorated significantly by that time.

The Liberty Bell was also known as the "Independence Bell" or the "Old Yankee's Bell" until 1837, when it was adopted by the American Anti-Slavery Society as a symbol of the abolitionist movement.

When looking closely at the Liberty Bell you may see that the state of Pennsylvania is spelled incorrectly but The spelling "Pensylvania" was an accepted variant at the time.