Fractured Liberty

With the exception of the Stars and Stripes, for Americans nothing symbolizes Liberty more than the Liberty Bell. Yet, in examining its history we find that, like Liberty itself, the Bell has frequently been the source of controversy.

In 1751 the Bell was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Assembly to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of William Penn’s 1701 Charter of Privileges—Pennsylvania’s original Constitution. The Charter was remarkable in that it contained views on religious freedom, Native American rights, and the idea that citizens should be included in making the laws.

No one knows when the first crack appeared on the Bell, but the final wide crack that rendered it unusable occurred on Washington’s Birthday in 1846 when it was rung to commemorate the occasion. The Philadelphia Public Ledger published an account of the incident in its February 26, 1846, issue in which it stated, “It gave out clear notes and loud, and appeared to be in excellent condition until noon, when it received a sort of compound fracture in a zig-zag direction through one of its sides which put it completely out of tune and left it a mere wreck of what it was.”

Although the Bell was never rung again, it became a symbol of the anti-slavery movement, and after the Civil War it traveled across the country to bring unity to a divided nation. A replica of the Bell toured the country in 1915 to promote women’s suffrage.

The Bell was produced by Whitechapel Foundry where it was inscribed with Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”  It arrived in Philadelphia on September 1, 1752 but was not rung until March 10, 1753. It was cracked by a stroke of the clapper when it was hung to try the sound.

John Pass and John Stow, two Philadelphia foundry workers, were given the cracked Bell to be melted down and recast. They added copper to the molten metal to make the new Bell less brittle, and the new Bell was placed in the belfry on March 29, 1753. When the Bell was rung, however, the consensus was that too much copper had been added and the resulting tone was not acceptable.

Pass and Stowe were ordered to break up the Bell once again and recast it. Finally, in June of 1753 the final Bell was placed in the Statehouse Steeple. Isaac Norris, one of the members of the Assembly who had originally commissioned the Bell, was still not pleased and ordered a new bell from England. Upon its arrival, however, the new bell was deemed to sound no better than the Pass and Stow Bell, and the Pass and Stow Bell remained in the Statehouse.

Prior to 1846 the Bell was rung frequently to call the Assembly together and to summon people for special announcements. Perhaps the most notable of those occasions was on July 8, 1776 when the Bell tolled to call the citizens for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Ironically, this same Bell that has served as a symbol of freedom for many American causes has also been a source of irritation for others.  In 1772 a petition was sent to the assembly stating that the people in the vicinity of the State House were “incommoded and distressed by the constant ringing of the great Bell in the steeple.”

A few weeks before the British occupied Philadelphia in October of 1777, the Bell was removed and hidden in the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to keep it from being seized by the British and melted down to be used for cannon.

The story of the Liberty Bell is the story of Liberty itself:

 Liberty has always been guarded by the Church, and in countries where the Church ceases to value Liberty, Liberty is soon lost.

Liberty is a sweet sound in the ears of some, but to others it is an affront. To those who do not value freedom, Liberty is the sound of great distress, and they will always petition against it.

Liberty is never perfect. It has flaws, and it requires special care to keep it intact. It must be protected and cherished, but it must never be discarded. Its value is incalculable; it is a thousand times better than the next best thing.

Liberty unites and heals. Those who love Liberty will always come together—even after they have gone through the most difficult times. When Liberty moves across the nation, the result is a united citizenry.

Liberty calls to people everywhere. It declares independence; it summons its citizens to war; it brings people together to make good laws and reject oppressive legislation; it advocates for the oppressed.

Liberty is a gift from God. He admonishes us to “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” It is our duty to hold onto it, and defend it, and value it. When we do, the sound of Liberty rings throughout this land and brings hope to the whole world.

Read Joyce Swann's Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother Free on Kindle through August 6th.

Joyce Swann is the author of Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother  co-author of The Chosen, a dystopian novel about the battle of one U.S. family to restore the Constitution and stop the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net