THE LIBERTY BELL

~Basic History About the Liberty Bell~
In 1751, Isaac Norris was told to order a 2,000 pound bell from England that could be hung in the newly built Pennsylvania State House. The bell arrived ashore safely in 1752. After being hung in March of 1753, the bell cracked. It was, however, recast and was used to call lawmakers to meetings and townspeople to hear news readings for many years. After being cracked, it became the bell that now hangs in the Liberty Bell Center across from its first home, Independence Hall.

INTERESTING FACTS

• The Liberty Bell used to be called the State House bell
• The bell was unable to be returned to England so two workers named John Stow and John Pass decided to recast it, and after one failed attempt they successfully made the bell that hangs today
• The Liberty Bell is made of 70% copper, 25% tin, with small amounts of lead, gold, arsenic, silver, and zinc
• The Liberty Bell was moved as British occupation seemed imminent in 1777 so the bell wouldn't be turned into a cannon if seized by the British

-The Famous Crack-
There are no records of why or when the Bell first cracked. It is widely believed that the crack developed after about 90 years of use in the early 1840's. Metalworkers started repairing it in 1846 in preparation for George Washington's birthday holiday. The crack was widened so the cracks wouldn't spread. The repair failed, however, as a second crack developed, silencing the bell forever.

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THE BELL AND EQUALITY

• Slavery abolitionists were largely inspired by the inscription after the Revolutionary War
• An abolitionist publication named The Anti-Slavery Record first called the bell the Liberty Bell, but this name would not be recognized until years later
• After the Civil War, the bell traveled in the late 1800's reminding people of a time that Americans fought together for independence
• Women's Suffrage to Cicil Rights used the bell's message in protests and even made their own "Justice Bell" to encourage support for women's voting rights

Just as the Liberty Bell is a sign of freedom in our nation, Jesus is a sign of freedom from sin.We have liberty from the sin that restrains us everyday by believing in Jesus. The Liberty Bell tells us to proclaim liberty through the verse Leviticus 25:10, just like how we should proclaim the freedom in Jesus to everyone else.

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QUESTIONS?