Welcome to the Liberty Bell.

For over 250 years, this Bell has been linked to important events in American history.
But increasingly it has become a symbol without national boundaries. The inscription
on the Bell is in English, but its words touch lives all around the world.
When workmen cast the Liberty Bell, it was a product of its times. Made in London,
England in 1751, it commemorated the religious and political freedoms enjoyed by
residents of colonial Pennsylvania. The inscription on the Bell came from the Bible.
It reads, 'Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof.'

When workmen cast the Liberty Bell, it was a product of its times. Made in London, England in 1751, it commemorated the religious and political freedoms enjoyed by residents of colonial Pennsylvania. The inscription on the Bell came from the Bible. It reads, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof."

Americans opposed to the enslavement of Africans remembered those words when they
campaigned to end slavery early in the 19th century. They used drawings of the Bell on
pamphlets and reprinted the Bell's inscription, bringing it to public attention. The fact that
the Bell originally hung inside Independence Hall, the place where the American colonies
declared independence and where the United States formed its first national government,
reinforced and magnified its symbolic value.

Once identified, the symbolic power of the Bell multiplied, first here in the United States
and then around the world. After the American Civil War, the Liberty Bell — a reminder of a
shared heritage and common values — traveled to cities and towns all across the country.

Reformers dedicated to a variety of causes used the Bell's growing fame to gain support.
Liberty, they argued, just as the words on the Bell suggested, must be for all — for workers,
for women, and for the disenfranchised and powerless whoever they might be. In the 20th
century, as political democracy spread around the globe, the Bell, with its recognizable
shape and inclusive message, became a partner in the international quest for freedom.

The Liberty Bell achieved its fame despite or perhaps because of obvious defects. The Bell
first cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. Two local craftsmen recast it in 1752, but
it cracked again — no one knows exactly when. Repaired one final time in 1846, the Bell
returned to service briefly, until the crack lengthened. Brought to the brink of destruction
again and again, unable to ring after the 1840s, this Bell still survived.

The Liberty Bell survived to provide a very personal message for everyone who stands
before it — male or female, young or old. The only requirement you need to hear its
symbolic message is a desire to search for the meaning of liberty that lives within you.
Cracked and silent, yet world famous, the Bell reminds us to focus on strengths not
weaknesses. Threatened many times, the Liberty Bell outlasted adversity, offering hope
for a better tomorrow, when liberty truly may touch us all.