According to legend, the Liberty Bell was first struck on July 8, 1776, as a call to the citizens of Philadelphia to the reading of the Declaration of Independence. It is also said that the bell was rung in 1774 to announce the meeting of the First Continental Congress, as well as in 1775 after the battles of Lexington and Concord. Although it is disputed as to whether or not the bell was rung at each and every one of these events, it is clear that what started out as a simple court house tower bell has now become an international symbol of freedom.
A Bell for the Pennsylvania State House
On November 1, 1751, the speaker of the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania asked superintendents Isaac Norris, Thomas Leech and Edward Warner to locate a foundry to create a bell for the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, which was still under construction. According to U.S. History.org's "The Liberty Bell," the purpose of the bell was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's draft of the Pennsylvania Constitution. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, England was chosen for the task of creating the bell. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which opened its doors in 1570, is England’s oldest manufacturing company with continuous operation since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, according to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry's website.
The First Tower Bell
The history of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry lists a detailed accounting of the creation of the original Liberty Bell. The bell created by Thomas Lester of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cost 100 pounds and weighed 2080 pounds. It was loaded onto the ship Hibernia and arrived in Philadelphia in September of 1752. According to Whitechapel Bell Foundry records, the bell arrived in perfect condition--which later became an important issue. The bell was hung between temporary scaffolding to test its sound. The clapper was swung, and the first time the bell was struck, it cracked!
John Pass and John Stow
There were no ships in port to return the damaged bell. Instead, the bell was recast by John Dock Pass and John Stow of Philadelphia. They broke the bell into chunks and melted them down, but at some point during the recast, Pass and Stow added copper to the composition and this changed the tone of the bell considerably. They recast the bell again using a correct balance of metals. In 1753, the bell was hung in the State House tower.
The Demise of the Whitechapel Replacement Bell
When the first bell cracked, Philadelphians ordered a replacement bell from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry called the “Sister Bell,” which arrived in 1753 and was installed at Independence Hall in the Pennsylvania State House. It was attached to the State House clock and rang the hours. It was temporarily loaned to the St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia, which was destroyed during Nativist Riots in 1844. This bell was recast by the friars of St. Augustine and moved to Villanova University. It is now in the Falvey Memorial Library on Villanova's campus.
Hidden from the British
Before 1776, the bell was rung to warn of fires in the town and to announce important events, such as public meetings, and to announce the repeal of the 1764 Sugar Act. It was also rung to announce the meeting regarding the Stamp Act. These events were historically important because they led to the American Revolution.
In 1777, when British troops moved on Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell and other important town bells were hidden to keep the British from melting them down and using them as weapons. The Liberty Bell was protected beneath the floor of the Zion Reformed Church in nearby Allentown and later returned to the State House tower. The bell is now owned by the City of Philadelphia and cared for by the National Park Service. It is displayed at the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historic Park.
The Liberty Bell Inscription
The Liberty Bell inscription is a quote from the Bible: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof—Lev. XXV, v.x. By order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philada. Pass and Stow Philada MDCCLIII.” According to ushistory.org, the spelling of Pennsylvania did not include the second "n" until much later and the bell was cast using the state's original name. The Liberty Bell's inscription was also used in the plot of the 2004 adventure thriller National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage.
Important Roles in History
After the Civil War, the Liberty Bell was sent on a train tour around the country including Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, Atlanta, Boston, and Charleston, where it was displayed at fairs and expositions. To avoid another crack on the fragile bell, the Liberty Bell was tapped lightly when allied troops landed at Normandy Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, but the sound was played on national radio.
Sources:
- Haeber, Jonathon. “Tiny Sensors To Monitor Liberty Bell During Move.” National Geographic News. July 4, 2003. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
- "History & Culture." Liberty Bell Center. NPS.Gov. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- National Treasure. Dir. Jon Turtletaub. Perfs. Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha. Walt Disney Pictures, 2004.
- Norris, David A. “Chimes of Freedom: The Liberty Bell.” History Magazine. December/January, 2008.
- "The Liberty Bell." ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- "The Liberty Bell." Whitechapel Bell Foundry website. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
Darla Sue Dollman - Darla Sue Dollman, BA, MFA, has expertise in classic films, the Old West, boating, and animals.
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