Which cracked Philadelphia bell is a famous symbol of American independence?

The cracked Philadelphia bell famous as a symbol of American independence is the Liberty Bell. It hangs at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.

The bell was commissioned in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and cast in London by Lester and Pack, the firm later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. After arriving in Philadelphia, it cracked during an early test and was recast twice by local founders John Pass and John Stow. Their names appear on the bell.

Its inscription comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.” The bell was originally known as the State House Bell or Old State House Bell. Abolitionists helped popularize the name “Liberty Bell” in the 1830s.

A common mix-up is the claim that it rang immediately after the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776. There is no contemporary evidence for that story. It may have rung when the Declaration was publicly read in Philadelphia on July 8, but the exact history is uncertain. The bell’s large crack was documented by 1846.