The Liberty Bell was originally called the State House Bell before it became a symbol of American independence.
The bell was commissioned in 1751 by Pennsylvania’s Provincial Assembly for the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. It was cast in London by Lester and Pack, the firm later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, and arrived in Philadelphia in 1752.
The bell cracked during an early test and was recast twice in Philadelphia by John Pass and John Stow. Their names and the year 1753 appear on the bell. Its famous inscription comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land.”
The name Liberty Bell became popular in the nineteenth century, particularly through abolitionist use. The bell’s association with the Declaration of Independence is powerful, but no contemporary evidence proves that it rang during the public reading on July 8, 1776.