A relic and symbol of the American Revolutionary War. The Liberty Bell, first cast in England in the 1750s, is inscribed with words from the Bible: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The bell hung in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and was rung at the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence. It cracked while being tolled for the death in 1835 of Chief Justice John Marshall and was taken out of service. It is now on display at Independence Hall.
large bell, a traditional symbol of U.S. freedom, commissioned in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly to hang in the new State House (renamed Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. It was cast in London by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, purchased for about 100, and delivered in August 1752. It was cracked by a stroke of the clapper while being tested and was twice recast in Philadelphia before being hung in the State House steeple in June 1753. It weighs about 2,080 pounds (943 kg), is 12 feet (3.7 metres) in circumference around the lip, and measures 3 feet (1 metre) from lip to crown. It bears the motto, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10).