The Liberty Bell - a Symbol of Independence

Memorial day is upon us, and in honor of all of the men and women who died while in the military service fighting for my freedom, I've decided to hub on one of the most famous symbols of American freedom and justice, the Liberty Bell.

In 1751, the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell to commemorate Pennsylvania's original Constitution, William Penn's 1701 Charter of Priveleges. Originally inscripted on the bell was "Proclaim Liberty thro' all the Land to all the inhabitants thereof Levit. XXV.10." Also inscribed into the bell is the quatation, "By Order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philada." That's correct, PeNsylvania. At the time the bell was made, "PeNNsylvania" with two N's had not been fully adopted. Find a map from that time period and notice PA sports one N everywhere.

The bell was cast in London, England, and delivered to Philadelphia in late 1752. It 1953, after having been hung from temporary scaffolding, the bell cracked during a test ring. Local Philadelphia craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753. They used metal from the English bell. Along with the two inscriptions above, their names, the city, and date appear on the front of the bell.

The Liberty Bell rang for numerous occasions in history. Not only was it rung to call Assembly together and to summon the people together for announcements and events, the bell rang when Benjamin Franklin was sent to England to address Colonial grievances, when King George III ascended to the throne in 1761, to call together Philadelphians in 1764 to discuss the Sugar Act and in 1765 to discuss the Stamp Act. It continued to be rung in 1774 for the First Continental Congress, in 1775 for the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and in 1776 when it summoned citizens for the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1777, Philadelphians removed all bells from the city because the British were about to occupy Philadelphia. They feared that the British would melt the bells and use them for cannon. The Liberty Bell was hidden in the floorboards in Allentown, PA at the Zion Reformed Church.

In the 1800s, the Bell traveled around the United States to heal wounds from the Civil War. The ring that rendered the bell unringable occurred on Washington's birthday in 1846. The bell cracked again and hasn't been rung since.

In 1915 it was returned permanently to Philadelphia.

1885 - Philadelphia to New Orleans for the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition

1893 - Philadelphia to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition

1895-96 - Philadelphia to Atlanta for the Cotton States and International Exposition

1902 - Philadelphia to Charleston, S.C., for the Inter-State and West Indian Exposition

1903 - Philadelphia to Boston for the 128th Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill

1904 - Philadelphia to St. Louis for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (the St. Louis World's Fair)

1915 - Philadelphia to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition and to San Diego for the Panama California Exposition

Abolitionists gave the Bell the name "Liberty Bell" in reference to its description.  Before this title it was refered to as the "State House Bell."  The first documented use of the name "Liberty Bell" was published in an anti-slavery publication, The Liberator, which contained a poem about the Bell called The Liberty Bell.  In 1837, the Bell became iconic when abolitionists adopted the Bell as a symbol for their movement.  It was used as the centerpiece in the 1837 edition of Liberty, published by the New York Anti-Slavery Society.

Today the Liberty Bell is located on Market Street between 5th and 6th streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The building is open year round, but the hours vary by season.  Here you can watch a video on the Liberty Bell as well as viewing many exhibits about the Bell.

The Liberty Bellis displayed in a glass chamber with Independence Hall in the background.

- Weight is about 2000 pounds

- Made of 70% copper, 25% tin, and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver.

- Believed to hang from its original yoke, made from American elm.

- The City of Philadelphia owns the bell.

- The bell used to strike an E-flat.

- The crack is about 1/2 inch wide and 24.5 inches long.