I had no idea the largest mall (King of Prussia Mall) on the east coast was there. Nor was I aware the nation’s first hospital, first medical school and first U.S. mint all hailed from the city of brotherly love. I’m sure only computer geeks knew that the world’s first computer, a giant computer named ENIAC, was developed there over 50 years ago at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nine original Colonial Colleges.
But I did know Philadelphia was home to the Liberty Bell. I even knew about the infamous crack in this international icon of freedom. Duh! Unfortunately, that was just about the extent of my knowledge before visiting said bell last month during our whirlwind tour of America’s first capital city. I think it may have had more to do with retrieval than storage. My operating system is getting a bit sluggish after all these years; disk space isn’t what it used to be either.
Alas, if my dilemma resonates with you, you might just find today’s post has a ‘ring’ of familiarity. Or perhaps you’re a history buff and feel the need to compare notes. Either way, rest assured; none of this will be on the test. There is NO TEST! Isn't life (and liberty) wonderful?! Might as well throw in the pursuit of happiness, too.
But I did know Philadelphia was home to the Liberty Bell. I even knew about the infamous crack in this international icon of freedom. Duh! Unfortunately, that was just about the extent of my knowledge before visiting said bell last month during our whirlwind tour of America’s first capital city. I think it may have had more to do with retrieval than storage. My operating system is getting a bit sluggish after all these years; disk space isn’t what it used to be either.
Alas, if my dilemma resonates with you, you might just find today’s post has a ‘ring’ of familiarity. Or perhaps you’re a history buff and feel the need to compare notes. Either way, rest assured; none of this will be on the test. There is NO TEST! Isn't life (and liberty) wonderful?! Might as well throw in the pursuit of happiness, too.
Jimmy said he could fix that crack. He's so good at fixing things!
The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell in November, 1751 from Whitechapel Foundry in England to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original Constitution. Including shipping and insurance, the Bell cost 115 Pounds, 13 shillings and eight pence ($225). The Assembly asked for the biblical inscription: Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land Unto all the Inhabitants thereof - Leviticus 25:10 The line in the Bible immediately preceding "proclaim liberty" is, "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year."
Great way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year with a bell proclaiming liberty!
There is widespread disagreement about when the first crack appeared on the Bell. Hairline cracks on bells were often bored out to prevent expansion. However, it is agreed that the final expansion of the crack which rendered the Bell unringable was on Washington's Birthday in 1846.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger reported in its February 26, 1846 publication:
"The old Independence Bell rang its last clear note on Monday last in honor of the birthday of Washington and now hangs in the great city steeple irreparably cracked and dumb. It had been cracked before but was set in order of that day by having the edges of the fracture filed so as not to vibrate against each other ... It gave out clear notes and loud, and appeared to be in excellent condition until noon, when it received a sort of compound fracture in a zigzag direction through one of its sides which put it completely out of tune and left it a mere wreck of what it was."
The Philadelphia Public Ledger reported in its February 26, 1846 publication:
"The old Independence Bell rang its last clear note on Monday last in honor of the birthday of Washington and now hangs in the great city steeple irreparably cracked and dumb. It had been cracked before but was set in order of that day by having the edges of the fracture filed so as not to vibrate against each other ... It gave out clear notes and loud, and appeared to be in excellent condition until noon, when it received a sort of compound fracture in a zigzag direction through one of its sides which put it completely out of tune and left it a mere wreck of what it was."
Once called the State Bell or Independence Bell, abolitionists get credit for the name Liberty Bell.
William Lloyd Garrison's anti-slavery publication, The Liberator, reprinted a Boston abolitionist pamphlet containing a poem about the Bell, entitled, The Liberty Bell, which represents the first documented use of the name, "Liberty Bell."
In retrospect, it is a remarkably apt metaphor for a country literally cracked and freedom fissured for its black inhabitants. The line following "proclaim liberty" is, "It shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man
unto his family." The Abolitionists understood this passage to mean that the Bible demanded all slaves and prisoners be freed every 50 years.
In retrospect, it is a remarkably apt metaphor for a country literally cracked and freedom fissured for its black inhabitants. The line following "proclaim liberty" is, "It shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man
unto his family." The Abolitionists understood this passage to mean that the Bible demanded all slaves and prisoners be freed every 50 years.
One might say the work of Pass and Stow wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Two Philadelphia foundry workers named John Pass and John Stow were given the task of melting down and recasting the cracked bell. They added an ounce and a half of copper to a pound of the old Bell in an attempt to make the new Bell less brittle. They charged slight over 36 Pounds for the job.
The bell weighs 2080 pounds. It is made of 70% copper, 25% tin, and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver. The names Pass and Stow appear on the Bell just above the crack.
The bell weighs 2080 pounds. It is made of 70% copper, 25% tin, and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver. The names Pass and Stow appear on the Bell just above the crack.
The new Bell was raised in the belfry on March 29, 1753. Unfortunately the tone of the Bell was still unsatisfactory.
Pass and Stow broke up the Bell and recast it a second time to no avail. I hate when that happens! In November of that same year Philadelphia asked England's Whitechapel Foundry to cast a second bell that would 'ring true'; at the very least sound better than the Pass and Stow Bell.
So the Pass and Stow Bell remained where it was in the steeple, and the new Whitechapel bell was placed in the cupola on the State House roof and attached to the clock to sound the hours, even though the sound wasn't any better than the Pass and Stow Bell. Sometime later the Pass and Stow Bell developed another hairline crack.
Pass and Stow broke up the Bell and recast it a second time to no avail. I hate when that happens! In November of that same year Philadelphia asked England's Whitechapel Foundry to cast a second bell that would 'ring true'; at the very least sound better than the Pass and Stow Bell.
So the Pass and Stow Bell remained where it was in the steeple, and the new Whitechapel bell was placed in the cupola on the State House roof and attached to the clock to sound the hours, even though the sound wasn't any better than the Pass and Stow Bell. Sometime later the Pass and Stow Bell developed another hairline crack.
Democracy may be flawed, but it's the best form of government out there.
The Liberty Bell was rung to call the Assembly together and to summon people together for special announcements and events. The Liberty Bell tolled frequently. Among the more historically important occasions, it tolled when Benjamin Franklin was sent to England to address Colonial grievances, it tolled when King George III ascended to the throne in 1761, and it tolled to call together the people of Philadelphia to discuss the Sugar Act in 1764 and the Stamp Act in 1765.
In 1772 a petition was sent to the Assembly stating that the people in the vicinity of the State House were "incommoded and distressed" by the constant "ringing of the great Bell in the steeple."
It's tough to beat tradition; the Bell continued tolling for the First Continental Congress in 1774, the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 and its most resonant tolling was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned the citizenry for the reading of the Declaration of Independence produced by the Second Continental Congress. However, the steeple was in bad condition and historians today doubt the likelihood of the story.
In 1772 a petition was sent to the Assembly stating that the people in the vicinity of the State House were "incommoded and distressed" by the constant "ringing of the great Bell in the steeple."
It's tough to beat tradition; the Bell continued tolling for the First Continental Congress in 1774, the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 and its most resonant tolling was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned the citizenry for the reading of the Declaration of Independence produced by the Second Continental Congress. However, the steeple was in bad condition and historians today doubt the likelihood of the story.
Independence Hall was designated a World Heritage Site on October 24, 1979.
The Bell has had three homes: Independence Hall (the Pennsylvania State House) from 1753 to 1976, the Liberty Bell Pavilion from 1976 to 2003 and the new Liberty Bell Center beginning on October 9, 2003. For three years the Bell was stored in the basement of the Zion German Reformed Church in Northhampton Town, now Allentown, when the British advanced on the city of Philadelphia in the fall of 1777. There was concern the British might recast the Bell into munitions.
There is no cost to see the Liberty Bell but be prepared for long lines and for screening of bags.
On the Liberty Bell, Pennsylvania is misspelled "Pensylvania." This spelling was one of several acceptable spellings of the name at that time.
After a visitor attacked the bell with a hammer in 2003, visitors are no longer allowed to touch the Bell.
Officially, the city of Philadelphia owns the Liberty Bell, although after World War II, the city allowed the National Park Service to take custody of the bell, while retaining ownership. The bell was used as a symbol of freedom during the Cold War and was a popular site for protests in the 1960s. It was moved from its longtime home in Independence Hall to a nearby glass pavilion on Independence Mall in 1976, and then to the larger Liberty Bell Center adjacent to the pavilion in 2003.
Heads up! Did you notice that guy's head at the bottom of my picture?
A replica of the Liberty Bell, forged in 1915, was used to promote women's suffrage. It traveled the country with its clapper chained to its side, silent until women won the right to vote. On September 25, 1920, it was brought to Independence Hall and rung in ceremonies celebrating the ratification of the 19th amendment.
To this day, oppressed groups come to Philadelphia to give voice to their plight, at the Liberty Bell, proclaiming their call for liberty.
To this day, oppressed groups come to Philadelphia to give voice to their plight, at the Liberty Bell, proclaiming their call for liberty.
Joseph Alexis Bailly's statue of George Washington was dedicated in October 1910.
On every Fourth of July, at 2pm Eastern time, children who are descendants of Declaration signers symbolically tap the Liberty Bell 13 times while bells across the nation also ring 13 times in honor of the patriots from the original 13 states.
Each year, the bell is gently tapped in honor of Martin Luther King Day. The ceremony began in 1986 at request of Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King.
Each year, the bell is gently tapped in honor of Martin Luther King Day. The ceremony began in 1986 at request of Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King.
On April 1, 1996, the fast food chain Taco Bell took out a full page ad in the New York Times to announce that they were purchasing the Liberty Bell and renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Their reason for doing this was to "do their part to reduce the country's debt." The bell, the ads related, would henceforth spend half the year at Taco Bell corporate headquarters in Irvine, California.
In a related release, the company pointed out that corporations had been adopting highways for years, and that Taco Bell was simply "going one step further by purchasing one of the country's greatest historic treasures."
Thousands of people called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the Liberty Bell was housed to angrily protest the selling of the bell. Taco Bell kept a straight face until noon, at which point it revealed that the earlier press releases were an April Fools joke. Soon afterwards Mike McCurry, the White House spokesperson, responded to the jest by declaring that the federal government would also be "selling the Lincoln Memorial to Ford Motor Company and renaming it the Lincoln-Mercury Memorial." The hoax paid off for Taco Bell. Their sales during the first week of April shot up by over half a million dollars.
In a related release, the company pointed out that corporations had been adopting highways for years, and that Taco Bell was simply "going one step further by purchasing one of the country's greatest historic treasures."
Thousands of people called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the Liberty Bell was housed to angrily protest the selling of the bell. Taco Bell kept a straight face until noon, at which point it revealed that the earlier press releases were an April Fools joke. Soon afterwards Mike McCurry, the White House spokesperson, responded to the jest by declaring that the federal government would also be "selling the Lincoln Memorial to Ford Motor Company and renaming it the Lincoln-Mercury Memorial." The hoax paid off for Taco Bell. Their sales during the first week of April shot up by over half a million dollars.
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