The Liberty Bell is symbolically tapped 13 times on Independence Day, representing the 13 original states.
The tradition is part of Philadelphia’s modern “Let Freedom Ring” observances. Because the Liberty Bell is too fragile to be rung normally, descendants of Declaration of Independence signers traditionally tap it rather than swing its clapper. Bells across the country may join the ceremony by ringing 13 times.
The bell’s Revolutionary-era history is more complicated than popular legend suggests. It probably rang in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, when the Declaration was publicly read, but there is no contemporary evidence that it rang as the Declaration was signed on July 4. Its famous crack also makes ordinary ringing unsafe.
The number 13 refers to the original colonies that declared independence, not the number of times the Declaration was signed or the bell’s historical tolling in 1776.