The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia came to be a symbol of the nation's newfound freedom.

On this day in 1776, a 2,000-pound copper-and-tin bell that came to be known as the Liberty Bell was said to have rang out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, calling people to the first public reading by Col. John Nixon of the newly minted Declaration of Independence.

The document had been adopted by the Second Continental Congress four days earlier, but the bell ringing was allegedly deferred until the declaration returned from the printer.

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The steeple was in poor shape at the time. Many historians doubt that the bell rang in that setting. Nevertheless, within a few decades, its association with the Declaration of Independence became fixed in the nations folklore. It remains so today.

The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly had ordered the bell built in 1751 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pennsylvanias Constitution. After being cracked during a test and recast twice, the bell was hung from the Statehouse steeple in 1753.

Rung to proclaim meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly and to rally people for singular events and special occasions, such as King George IIIs 1761 ascension to the British throne and, in 1765, for them to denounce the British Parliaments passage of the Stamp Act. It also rang in 1775 to announce the battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening skirmishes of the Revolutionary War.

As British troops advanced toward Philadelphia in the fall of 1777, the bell was hidden in Allentown to save it from being melted down by the British and used to forge cannons. After the British defeat in 1781, the bell was returned to Philadelphia, which served as the nations capital from 1790 to 1800. The bell was tolled annually to celebrate George Washingtons birthday on Feb. 22 and Independence Day on July 4. The name Liberty Bell was coined in an 1839 poem in an abolitionist pamphlet.

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The bell acquired its distinctive large current crack sometime in the early 19th century possibly when it was rung to mark the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. It acquired further fame after an 1847 story alleged that an aged bell ringer rang it on July 4, 1776, upon hearing of the congressional vote for independence. That tale became widely accepted as being factual, even by some contemporary historians.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, many Americans sought ways to venerate symbols of unity. The U.S. flag became one such symbol; the Liberty Bell became another. To help heal the wounds of the war, the Liberty Bell traveled across the country, being welcomed by huge crowds.

In preparation for Americas bicentennial celebration in 1976, the Liberty Bell was moved to a newly built pavilion about 100 yards from Independence Hall. It was relocated on the same block in 2003. The bell remains there today, viewed by upward of a million visitors annually.

SOURCE: http://WWW.USHISTORY.ORG/TOUR/LIBERTY-BELL.HTM

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Liberty Bell rings out in Philadelphia, July 8, 1776 - POLITICO - Politico