Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American bell of great historic significance. The Liberty Bell is perhaps the most prominent symbol associated with early American history and the battle for American independence and freedom. Its most famous ringing, on July 8, 1776, summoned citizens for the reading of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. Previously, it had been rung to announce the opening of the First Continental Congress, in 1774, and the Battle of Lexington and Concord, in 1775.

The bell was not officially known as the "Liberty Bell" until 1837, when it became a symbol of the abolitionist movement. Its cast inscription from Leviticus 25:10 states, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." Along with the Statue of Liberty, it is one of the most prominent symbol of American freedom and the values of the United States of America.

The bell is 70% copper, 25% tin, and contains other trace metals. It has a 12 foot (3.7 m) circumference. It originally weighed 2080 lb ( 943 kg), but according to the city of Philadelphia, it currently weighs around 2055 lb (932 kg), due to the fact that at least 25 lb (11 kg). have been maliciously chiseled off the inside lip. The bell's wooden yoke is made from American elm.

It was originally cast in 1752 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, for use in the Pennsylvania State House (also known as Independence Hall). The bell had been ordered the previous year by the Pennsylvania Assembly, and the inscription from Leviticus was possibly intended to mark the 50th anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges of 1701.

The bell received its first crack in March 1753, the first time it was rung. After its initial cracking, the bell was recast by John Pass and John Stow of Philadelphia, whose surnames also appear inscribed on the bell. When the tone of the recast bell proved unsatisfactory, Pass and Stow recast the bell again, and this third bell was hung in the steeple of the State House in June 1753. The bell was used to summon members of the Assembly to meetings. It remained in the tower through the start of the American Revolutionary War, when the Second Continental Congress used the building for its deliberations in 1775 to 1776.

In October 1777, however, as the Revolutionary War intensified and the British attempted to seize Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell was moved north, to the Pennsylvania village of Northamptontown (now known as Allentown). In Allentown, the bell was hidden under the floor of Old Zion Reformed Church, where it remained until the British evacuated Philadelphia in 1778, when it was again returned to Philadelphia.

Today, in the basement of this center city Allentown church, is the Liberty Bell Museum, which houses the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's official replica of the Liberty Bell.

On January 1, 1976, in anticipation of increased visitation during the bicentennial year of American independence, the bell was transported from Independence Hall to a glass pavilion located one block north (at the southwest corner of 5th and Market Streets), but the unadorned pavilion proved unpopular with many.

On April 6, 2001, the bell was struck several times with a hammer by Mitchell Guilliatt, a self-described wanderer from Nebraska. According to witness testimony, he hit the bell four times while shouting "God lives!". The reason behind the ringing of the Liberty Bell by Mitchell Guilliatt was to declare his independence from the United States of America. The act was not an attempt to deface or destroy the bell. After repairs, there was no visible damage to the bell.

In October 2003, the bell was moved a short distance to the southwest to a new pavilion, the Liberty Bell Center. There was some controversy about the site chosen for the new structure, which was just to the south of the site of where George Washington had lived in the 1790s. After the initial planning, the building's site was found to be adjacent to the quarters for the slaves owned by Washington. The decision over how to acknowledge this fact in the display has led to some debate.

As of 2005, the bell remains in this location: the northeast corner of 6th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. The city's new National Constitution Center is located exactly one block to the north, and Independence Hall is located directly across the street, on the southern portion of Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets. The Bell's former pavilion at the southwest corner of 5th and Market Streets was up for purchase after the move in an effort to reduce demolition costs, but after the auction drew little response, it was converted into a security station that screens tourists traveling in and around Independence Mall.

The Liberty Bell Center, with its storied bell, and the nearby Independence Hall, are part of Independence National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service.

Wikipedia information about Liberty Bell
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Liberty Bell". More from Wikipedia