The Liberty Bell’s inscription cites the biblical book Leviticus, specifically chapter 25, verse 10.
The inscription reads, in part, “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.” It was drawn from the King James Version of Leviticus 25:10, a verse concerning liberty and the return of property during the biblical jubilee year.
The bell was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly in 1751 and cast in London by Lester and Pack, later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It cracked on its first test in Philadelphia and was recast twice by local founders John Pass and John Stow.
The bell was originally called the State House Bell. Abolitionist societies helped popularize the name Liberty Bell in the 1830s. Its association with independence grew over time; there is no firm contemporary proof that it rang when the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776.