Leviticus supplied the quotation engraved on the Liberty Bell, a symbol linked to America250.
The bell’s inscription begins, “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof,” followed by the biblical reference “Lev. XXV. v X.” The reference identifies Leviticus 25:10, a verse associated with the proclamation of liberty and the Jubilee year.
The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly commissioned the bell in 1751, and it was cast in London in 1752. After arriving in Philadelphia, it cracked during testing and was recast by local founders John Pass and John Stow. Their names appear on the bell beneath the inscription.
The bell was originally associated with the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall. Its modern name became popular in the nineteenth century, especially among abolitionists. Although popular tradition connects it directly with the 1776 declaration reading, contemporary evidence does not prove that it was rung for that event.