For America250, the Liberty Bell is the Philadelphia object that became a symbol of American independence.
The bell was cast in London in 1752 for the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall. It cracked during an early test and was recast in Philadelphia by local founders John Pass and John Stow. The bell’s inscription comes from Leviticus: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof.”
The Liberty Bell was not called by that name in 1776, and evidence does not establish that it rang to announce the Declaration’s adoption. Its symbolic reputation grew during the nineteenth century, especially as abolitionists and other reformers used its inscription to represent freedom.
Today the bell is displayed in the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, separate from Independence Hall. Its famous crack is stable, and the bell has not been rung since 1846.