What was the Liberty Bell originally called before it became a symbol of American independence?

The Liberty Bell was originally called the State House Bell.

The bell was commissioned in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly for the bell tower of the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. That building is now Independence Hall. Its inscription comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.”

The bell cracked on its first test after arriving from England and was recast twice by Philadelphia founders John Pass and John Stow. Their names and the year 1753 appear on the bell. For many years it served ordinary civic purposes, including summoning lawmakers and announcing public meetings.

The name “Liberty Bell” became popular in the nineteenth century, especially through abolitionist publications. A famous later story says the bell rang on July 4, 1776, but historians have found no contemporary evidence that it rang that day. It may have rung when the Declaration was publicly read on July 8.