The Liberty Bell inscription quoted in America250 ends with a reference to Leviticus. Its wording comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.”
The bell was commissioned in 1752 by Pennsylvania’s Provincial Assembly for the State House, now Independence Hall. It was cast by the London firm Lester and Pack, later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, and was twice recast after cracking.
The bell’s connection with the Declaration is partly legendary. It may have rung when the Declaration was read publicly on July 8, 1776, but no contemporary account specifically confirms that the bell itself rang.
The name Liberty Bell became popular in the 19th century through abolitionist use. The inscription’s biblical source helped make the bell a lasting symbol of liberty, even though the bell was not originally named for the 1776 declaration.