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Liberty Bell

 
Liberty Bell is a treasured relic of the early days of American independence. It was rung on July 8, 1776, for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Its inscription, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," is from the Bible (Leviticus 25:10).

The Liberty Bell weighs over 2,080 pounds (943 kilograms). The colonial province of Pennsylvania paid about $300 for it in 1752. Today, the bell hangs in Liberty Bell Center, just north of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

The Liberty Bell was first cast in England. It broke in ringing after its arrival and was recast in Philadelphia from the same metal, with the same inscription, in 1753. For nearly 100 years, the Liberty Bell rang on many special events to call people together. The bell cracked in 1841. It became known as the Liberty Bell about 1839, when abolitionists began to refer to it that way. Previously, the bell had been called the Old State House Bell.

The Liberty Bell is no longer rung, but it has been struck on special occasions. On June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed in France, Philadelphia officials struck the bell. Sound equipment broadcast the tone to all parts of the nation. Independence Hall was the permanent residence of the bell from 1753 until 1976, when it was moved to a pavilion north of Independence Hall. In 2003, the bell was moved from the pavilion to a new, larger center nearby.