The inscription on the Liberty Bell housed in Philadelphia reads as follows:
“Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.”
The famed Liberty Bell was commissioned out of Whitechapel Foundry in London, and it is believed to have cracked upon its first attempt to ring in 1751. However, the bell would ring for a solid ninety years until the 1840s when it could no longer ring due to the growing crack that made it unusable. Mystery still surrounds how the bell first got its crack, and we do know the repair attempt in the 1840s did not work. By the way, the large crack is actually a part of the repair attempt. The crack in the bell could be seen as indicative of our struggle in America, yet the bell keeps ringing for freedom, at least symbolically. Abolitionists used the symbol and the inscription on the Liberty Bell (not called that until the 1800s) as a rallying cry against the hypocrisy and double standards in America for women, Blacks, and disenfranchised people of all races and colors, including poor White people. This included many female abolitionists who were also part of the women’s suffrage movement (voting rights).
It is also fascinating that the Liberty Bell was located in Independence Hall, which was founded in 1732, the same yearas President George Washington was born. I find that fact to be ironic that it would be General George Washington who led our country during the American Revolution and then served as our first president. Independence Hall, Philadelphia, is where the great documents that framed our nation were birthed and signed by the great leaders of our nation. It is an amazing story of resilience and persistence for something new and something great. This is what America was founded on. The Liberty Bell would ring to gather the people to Independence Hall to hear vital news concerning the nation. On special occasions, the Liberty Bell would be struck as a symbol of freedom and hope, such as D-day, June 6, 1944, when the Allied Forces invaded Normandy, France, to bring down the tyrannical reign of Adolf Hitler and his forces across Europe. Today I call for the Liberty Bell to ring in our hearts as we gather to read the vital news that will shape our future.