Proclaim Liberty

The Liberty Bell is inscribed with the resounding words, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." The Bell's history begins with the foundation of liberty and tolerance established for Pennsylvania by William Penn through the 1701 charters. Commissioned by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1751, the Bell announced government and town meetings, community dangers, and special occasions as a routine part of the city's life. Although the Bell indeed rang from the State House tower to announce the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776, by the 1820s neither the State House nor the Bell had any special place in public memory.

Postcard
The Liberty Bell
Maker and date unknown
Society Collection

Shortly after the London-manufactured bell arrived in Pennsylvania, it was deemed completely unsuitable. Philadelphians made several efforts to cast a new bell,
and metalsmiths John Pass and John Stow finally
succeeded in 1753.