The Liberty Bell is traditionally associated with Philadelphia’s first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The reading took place at the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall, on July 8, 1776. Bells around Philadelphia reportedly rang to mark the occasion, and later tradition connected the State House bell with the event. The bell itself was commissioned by Pennsylvania’s Provincial Assembly in 1752 and cast in London.
The famous story that the bell rang on July 4 immediately after Congress adopted independence is not supported by contemporary evidence. The Declaration was first publicly read four days later, and historians generally describe the Liberty Bell’s participation on July 8 as likely rather than proven.
The bell became known as the Liberty Bell in the nineteenth century, especially after abolitionist groups adopted it as a symbol. Its inscription comes from Leviticus: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.”