The Philadelphia Liberty Bell

I am proud to reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of the most
history-rich cities in the United States. The State of Pennsylvania
dates back to 1681 when Charles II of England granted a charter for the
Pennsylvania colony to William Penn. Penn soon after founded
Philadelphia, naming it after the Greek synthesis of “philos,” meaning
love, and “adelphos,” meaning brother. This name has earned Philadelphia
its nickname, the City of Brotherly Love. A port city that would also
serve as the seat of Pennsylvania’s government, Philadelphia was
established on the Delaware River.

One of the most famous features of Philadelphia is the Liberty Bell,
which was forged in 1751 by order of the Pennsylvania Provincial
Assembly. Cast in London, the bell did not arrive in Philadelphia until
1752, and, to the dismay of onlookers, it cracked during one of its
first tests. Two local men agreed to recast the bell, though it took two
attempts to finally achieve a desirable bell. The Liberty Bell grew in
fame during the Revolutionary War, and it was rung at the First
Continental Congress in 1774 and again after the Battles of Lexington
and Concord in 1775. The bell was taken down in 1777 when an attack on
Philadelphia seemed imminent because residents were afraid the British
would melt it down to cast a cannon. The bell was hidden in Lehigh
Valley, under the floorboards of Zion’s Reformed Church in current-day
Allentown, Pennsylvania. The bell was returned to Philadelphia in June
1778 at the end of the British occupation.

Throughout the 19th century, the Liberty Bell was rung to
commemorate notable events, including the deaths of Alexander Hamilton,
John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, as well as Washington’s 100th
birthday. In 1835, the bell was rung after the death of John Marshall,
causing the now-famous crack in the bell. Although it was repaired, the
bell again cracked in 1846 when it was rung to honor Washington’s
birthday. This crack rendered the bell unusable, and it was put up for
display in Independence Hall shortly thereafter.