November 25, 2008
We (Emily and Kelly) took a trip to Philadelphia, and among other historical places we were able to get up close and personal with the Liberty Bell.
A few important facts:
It is now located at 6th and Market Street in Philadelphia, PA.
The bell was originally cast at Whitechapel Foundry (England) in 1752 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges for Pennsylvania (this was Pennsylvania's constitution). In this constitution William Penn spoke of the freedoms and liberties he believed people in Pennsylvania and all over the world should have. Because he believed in freedom for everyone, the following words are inscribed on the Liberty Bell:
Leviticus xxv:x: "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof"
The first part of that verse says "And you shall hallow the fiftieth year...". It is very fitting that this verse should be used as it was the 50th anniversary of PA being an organized commonwealth. I think it's neat that one of our country's dearest symbols quotes the Bible, don't you!
Also inscribed on the bell is the quotation:
"By Order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philadelphia."
This is just saying that the leaders of Pennsylvania are the people that have asked the bell to be cast. But see if you can find something odd about that quote. Look carefully. Hmmmm...I'm sure you've found it by now! They spelled Pennsylvania wrong. Yikes! Well actually, back in the mid 1700's people couldn't agree on how to spell it, so the British foundry workers who cast the bell decided on just one "n". I personally prefer 2 "n's" as that looks more like our founder, William Penn's, name!
After the bell was shipped to Pennsylvania from England it was hung in the State House steeple. The State House (also known as Independence Hall) is where the 2nd Constitutional Convention was held and where our Declaration of Independence was signed. The bell cracked during testing. The assemblymen ordered the bell to be melted down and recast. They paid John Pass and John Stow (both of Philadelphia) to do this. They added more copper to make a stronger bell, but when the bell was finished no one liked the sound of it. If you can believe it, because of the unpleasant sound, Pass and Stow melted it down AGAIN and cast the bell we have today. If you look closely at pictures of the bell, you will see Pass and Stow's names inscribed on it.
The Liberty Bell (this 3rd bell) hung at the State House, and was rung for many important occasions, but it too eventually cracked and continued to crack. Though it was repaired by a process called "stop drilling", the bell was deemed unringable when it was struck in honor of Washington's Birthday in 1846. It would never ring again.
The Liberty Bell was replaced in the steeple by a bell called the Centennial Bell (given as a gift to Philadelphia in 1876 to celebrate our 100 years as a country.) The Liberty Bell now has a new home called the Liberty Bell Center. This is where we were able to see it.
Here is Flat Stanley hanging on for dear life:
(Of course we photo-shopped him in for fun! No one's allowed to touch the Liberty Bell!)
A few important facts:
It is now located at 6th and Market Street in Philadelphia, PA.
The bell was originally cast at Whitechapel Foundry (England) in 1752 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges for Pennsylvania (this was Pennsylvania's constitution). In this constitution William Penn spoke of the freedoms and liberties he believed people in Pennsylvania and all over the world should have. Because he believed in freedom for everyone, the following words are inscribed on the Liberty Bell:
Leviticus xxv:x: "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof"
The first part of that verse says "And you shall hallow the fiftieth year...". It is very fitting that this verse should be used as it was the 50th anniversary of PA being an organized commonwealth. I think it's neat that one of our country's dearest symbols quotes the Bible, don't you!
Also inscribed on the bell is the quotation:
"By Order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philadelphia."
This is just saying that the leaders of Pennsylvania are the people that have asked the bell to be cast. But see if you can find something odd about that quote. Look carefully. Hmmmm...I'm sure you've found it by now! They spelled Pennsylvania wrong. Yikes! Well actually, back in the mid 1700's people couldn't agree on how to spell it, so the British foundry workers who cast the bell decided on just one "n". I personally prefer 2 "n's" as that looks more like our founder, William Penn's, name!
After the bell was shipped to Pennsylvania from England it was hung in the State House steeple. The State House (also known as Independence Hall) is where the 2nd Constitutional Convention was held and where our Declaration of Independence was signed. The bell cracked during testing. The assemblymen ordered the bell to be melted down and recast. They paid John Pass and John Stow (both of Philadelphia) to do this. They added more copper to make a stronger bell, but when the bell was finished no one liked the sound of it. If you can believe it, because of the unpleasant sound, Pass and Stow melted it down AGAIN and cast the bell we have today. If you look closely at pictures of the bell, you will see Pass and Stow's names inscribed on it.
The Liberty Bell (this 3rd bell) hung at the State House, and was rung for many important occasions, but it too eventually cracked and continued to crack. Though it was repaired by a process called "stop drilling", the bell was deemed unringable when it was struck in honor of Washington's Birthday in 1846. It would never ring again.
The Liberty Bell was replaced in the steeple by a bell called the Centennial Bell (given as a gift to Philadelphia in 1876 to celebrate our 100 years as a country.) The Liberty Bell now has a new home called the Liberty Bell Center. This is where we were able to see it.
Here is Flat Stanley hanging on for dear life:
(Of course we photo-shopped him in for fun! No one's allowed to touch the Liberty Bell!)
No comments:
Post a Comment