Bong! Bong! Bong! It was July 8th, 1776. The tolling of the big bell in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House told the people of Philadelphia that the Declaration of Independence had been adopted. For more than 20 years—since 1753—the bell had called lawmakers to the Assembly and signaled the opening of court. Now the bell was doing what it seems to have been made for, telling the people they were free. For around the upper part of the bell are these words from the bible: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” At one time during the War for Independence, people feared the British would capture the bell and melt it down to make cannons. They hid the bell under a church floor for a year. After the bell was returned to its tower, it was rung every Fourth of July. But the liberty bell, as it has come to be called, rings no longer. It cracked in 1835, while tolling during the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall. From the time it cracked till 1976, the Independence hall(the old State house) housed the Liberty bell until it was moved to a special place nearby.
Tags: The Liberty bell, The Independence hall, Declaration of Independence
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