Freedom Sometimes Requires a Second Chance
The life of the Liberty Bell began in 1752 when it was determined the city of Philadelphia needed a larger and louder bell.
The bronze bell was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in Englad, at a cost of about $38,000 in today’s dollars. Following a tradition of the time of giving bells some sort of unique detail, the bell was inscribed with the text taken from the Old Testament, “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof LEV. XXV. v X.”
When the bell arrived in Philadelphia, it was mounted in the bell tower to test its sound. During this testing, the bell’s rim cracked when it was first struck by the clapper.
After initially trying to “return” the bell to England, it was determined that the better course was to break the bell into pieces, melt it down, and recast it as a new bell. Two local founders were tasked with the job: John Pass and John Stow.
The recasting was complete in March, 1753, and a public celebration was planned. While the bell did not crack this time, its sound was deemed unsatisfactory – being described by at least one hearer as sounding like two coal buckets being banged together.
The bell was ordered to be recast again. On this third casting, the bell did not crack immediately and the sound was deemed at least satisfactory.
Another bell was ordered for the main tower, and the repeatedly rejected Liberty Bell was relegated to occasional use for calling meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly, and for marking important dates following the Revolutionary War.
The exact date that the bell cracked following its second recasting is not known. But it was sometime between 1817 and 1846.
The reason for cracking is debated. The most popular story is that in 1835 the bell cracked when it was rung to mark the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. Other stories include that it was damaged during a celebration of general Lafayette’s return, in celebration of Washington’s birthday, or by some boys that had been invited to ring the bell.
A 1975 metallurgical analysis of the bell revealed that many mistakes in the proportions of metals used in the bell’s casting – both in the original and in subsequent recastings – resulted in an extremely brittle bell.
In 1958, the original foundry offered to recast the bell. The National Park Service (the bell’s current custodian) declined their offers, pointing out that neither they nor the American people wanted the crack to be removed.
Today the Liberty Bell is housed in the Liberty Bell center in Philadelphia where it can be viewed by members of the public.
The Liberty Bell was not perfect when it was first created, and it still carried significant flaws even after being twice recast. Still, it carries much history and deep symbolism for many Americans.
Perhaps there is a lesson there to be learned.