THE LIBERTY BELL RINGS:

July 8, 1776

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.