RSS 2.0 FeedJuly 1, 2010, Freeport-Baldwin Leader
The chime that changed the world
A history of the Liberty Bell.
Legend has it that the Liberty Bell rang out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776.
The Liberty Bell has long been a symbol of our nation’s pursuit of freedom. In the 19th century, abolitionists used the bell to call for the end of slavery and in 1915 a replica of the bell was used to promote women’s suffrage. America has even sent this symbol of freedom abroad In 1919, a Liberty Bell was given to people of Czechoslovakia.
The people of Berlin also received a Liberty Bell in 1950 signifying a “fight against communism in Europe.” There are also replicas of the Liberty Bell in Belgium, Israel, Japan and France.
Here at home, replicas of the Liberty Bell can be found in every state of the Union (except Pennsylvania where the original is found), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to the Liberty Bell Museum website, the United States Department of Treasury, as part of a savings bond drive in 1950, had 55 full-sized replicas of the Liberty Bell made in the Paccard Foundry in Annecy-le-Vieux, France.
The bells were shipped as gifts to states and territories in the United States to be displayed and rung on patriotic occasions. Here in New York, our Liberty Bell is located in Albany at the State Education Department building. “Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” reads part of the inscription on the Liberty Bell.
On the Fourth of July these 55 Liberty Bells will ring across the nation. Each bell will ring 13 times in honor of the patriots from the original 13 states. The Liberty Bell remains a symbol of unity for Americans, a reminder that each of us is “summoned” to work for the ideals of American democracy.
Happy Birthday, America! Sound the bells, loud and clear!