The Philadelphia bell inscribed with a liberty proclamation and linked to the history celebrated by America250 is the Liberty Bell.
The bell was commissioned in 1752 by Pennsylvania’s colonial assembly and cast in London by Lester and Pack, a firm later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Its inscription comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.”
The bell cracked during an early test and was recast twice in Philadelphia by John Pass and John Stow. Their names appear on the bell, which was originally used to summon legislators and announce public meetings.
A popular legend says it rang on July 4, 1776, after the Declaration was adopted. Historians have found no evidence for that story. It may have rung during the first public reading on July 8, but even that is not certain. Its modern name became popular in the 1830s.