June 25, 2021 – When visitors tour the many historic sites in Philadelphia, a popular stop is the Liberty Bell. The bell is permanently on display near Independence Hall, the building where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were adopted in 1776 and 1787 respectively. In the 18th century before the American Revolution, the building was the Pennsylvania State House.
The following is a brief history of the Liberty Bell in a timeline format.
1751: The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a bell from a company in London. At the time, all of the Thirteen Colonies were British colonies under British rule. When the bell was delivered, it cracked on its first test. Philadelphia workers melted the bell and cast a new one. The bell was called the “State House Bell.”
1755: Historians know from reading letters written by Benjamin Franklin that the new bell worked. He wrote in a letter that the bell rang to call lawmakers to the State House. The bell also rang to inform townspeople there was news. The bell rang for the next 90 years.
1776: American colonists declared their independence from the British Empire and King Geirge III by issuing the Declaration of Independence.The first public reading of the document took place in the town square outside of the Pennsylvania State House on July 8, 1776. Many historians believe the bell must have been rung on this occasion.
1781: With the help of Marquis de Lafayette and France, the Continental Army, led by Gen. George Washington, defeated the British at Yorktown. That defeat brought an end to the Revolutionary War.
1782: Peace talks began in Paris between the British Empire and the United States. Benjamin Franklin was there negotiating for the United States.
1783: The Treaty of Paris was signed, officially declaring the United States was a sovereign nation no longer under British rule.
1787: The Constitution of the United States was adopted. The required number of states ratified it in 1788. George Washington was unanimously elected the nation’s first president.
1789: George Washington was inaugurated the first President of the United States.
1830s: In the 1830s, a small crack developed in the bell. In 1835, abolitionists were the first to call the bell the Liberty Bell. They were advocating for an end to slavery.
1846: The bell was repaired by making the crack wider so it would not spread throughout the bell. The repair failed when a second cracked appreared. The repairs silenced the bell after 90 years of ringing during both tumultuous and triumphant times for the new nation.
1999: Graduate students at Penn State University digitally created a structural model of the bell. They calculated the bell’s vibrations. Knowing the tone of the bell was an E-flat, they digitally created the sound of the bell ringing, which was likely close to its original sound, the sound Benjamin Franklin heard in Philadelphia!
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What was the first name of the Liberty Bell?
2. What purpose did the bell serve when it worked in the late 1700s and first part of the 1800s?
3. Who gave the name “Liberty Bell” to the bell?
4. Why didn’t the bell make a sound after 1846?
5. Where is the Liberty Bell located today?
INQUIRY QUESTIONS
1. Why is the Liberty Bell such an iconic symbol of the nation?
2. Do you think Benjamin Franklin thought of the bell as a symbol of the nation or just a practical device for communication?