The bell in Philadelphia associated with American independence is the Liberty Bell.
Originally called the State House Bell, it was commissioned in 1751 by Pennsylvania’s Provincial Assembly for the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall. It was cast in London and arrived in Philadelphia in 1752, but cracked during an early test. Local founders John Pass and John Stow recast it, and their names remain inscribed on the bell.
Its inscription comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.” The bell probably rang among Philadelphia’s bells when the Declaration of Independence was publicly read on July 8, 1776, although the popular story that it rang on July 4 has no contemporary evidence.
The name “Liberty Bell” became widely used in the 1830s, especially by abolitionists. Its famous crack appeared sometime in the early nineteenth century; the bell has not been rung since 1846. Today it is displayed at the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park.