"Proclaim Liberty throughout ALL of the land unto ALL of the Inhabitants..." The Pennsylvania State House Bell!

The Pennsylvania State House Bell, more famously known as the Liberty Bell was first heard in 1753.  How appropriate that this bell , with its famous inscription,  was designed for the state house in the city that colonial representatives took the earliest steps toward independence from Great Britain ?!?

The Liberty Bell has always been a symbol of freedom.  In the 1830s anti-slavery groups named it the Liberty Bell.  The bell cracked around 1846!  The crack serves as a reminder that liberty is imperfect.

The First Continental Congress met in 1774 in Carpenters' Hall near Independence Hall as a response to Parliament's Intolerable Acts.  There it drew up a Declaration of Rights and Grievances and an appeal to King George III. 

King George III and Parliament did not respond.

The Second Continental Congress met in the State House in May 1775 (Independence Hall).  Shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord.  Now, it appeared that war was inevitable.  Independence was not yet the goal.  Many colonists were still loyal to Britain.  George III declared the colonies in a state of rebellion even though Congress affirmed the colonies' loyalty with the Olive Branch Petition.

June 1776- Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee moved that the colonies be "Free and Independent States." Thomas Jefferson wrote a formal declaration.  The delegates adopted the Declaration in Independence hall on July 4th.  Although, it would not be signed by the delegates until August 2nd.

November 1777- the Continental Congress created the Articles of Confederation which as James Madison stated was "a treaty of alliance between independent and Sovereign States."  The articles worked well for the new nation during war, but they were inadequate!

1787- Fifty-five delegates met once again in Philadelphia to revise the Articles.  The delegates agreed to create an entirely new constitutional government.

The Great Compromise, called fora  House of Representatives with proportional representation and a Senate with each state represented equally would ensure that small states would also have a voice.  The states kept some of their sovereignty, but the central government had stronger powers with executive and judicial branches.  The Constitution provided a firm but flexible structure around which to build a Nation- "A more perfect Union."


Reference- National Park Service brochure "Independence National Historical Park" Pennsylvania.