Leviticus is the biblical book cited in the inscription on Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell.
The inscription refers to Leviticus 25:10 and reads, in part, “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.” The quotation comes from the biblical Jubilee passage, which describes liberty and the return of property during a special fiftieth year.
The bell was commissioned in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and cast in London by Lester and Pack, later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It arrived in Philadelphia in 1752 but cracked during an early test. Local founders John Pass and John Stow recast it twice, and their names appear on the bell.
The name “Liberty Bell” became widely used in the nineteenth century, especially among abolitionist groups. It was previously known as the State House Bell or Old State House Bell. The bell is associated with independence, although no contemporary record proves that it rang when the Declaration was publicly read in 1776.