Every day in Philadelphia, hundreds and thousands of tourists line up to walk by the Liberty Bell and take pictures. Every American knows its name and what it looks like. And everybody knows it rang when the Declaration of Independence was signed and read for the first time. Right? It makes a nice story, but… Read the fine print. Displays in the building that houses the Liberty Bell explain that historians seriously doubt it was rung on that day, or any other day in 1776. The wooden bell tower was rotten and in danger of falling off the roof. Swinging a 2000 pound bell up there would not have been a smart idea. If you ever go to Philly, take a really close look at the Liberty Bell. Hairline cracks run all over the damn thing. Look underneath. If there had been no internal frame added to hold the bell together, it probably would have broken in half or shattered into several pieces years ago. Reality check: It is a defective bell. If it had been bought in modern times, the US government would have had it replaced under warranty or sued the hell out of the manufacturer. Across the street, up in the rebuilt bell tower (now made of steel and concrete) on top of Independence Hall, a bell that nobody cares about rings every hour, on the hour, as it has been doing every day since July 4, 1876 - the one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration. The Centennial Bell is not a replica of the Liberty Bell. It is much larger, heavier, and louder. It sounds very much like Big Ben in London. Part of the iron in the bell came from two melted-down Civil War cannons from the battle of Gettysburg. One from the North, one from the South. The bell has no cracks. The Centennial Bell kicks ass. How did I learn about the Centennial Bell? I asked a Park Ranger at the Liberty Bell. After listening to the tour guide at Independence Hall and reading all the displays, I had found no information about the bell that rings from the tower every day. She said nobody ever asks about that bell. Hype beats reality almost every time. Don’t take anything at face value.
That being said, the Liberty Bell still makes a profound statement, as a national symbol. It reminds us that any human undertaking, no matter how perfect its goal and motivation, is going to be flawed.
i enjoy learning new things about history. i suppose like most people i didn't give the bell in the tower much thought.i know there was a world fair in philadelphia in 1876 so i suppose the new bell was attended to with great fanfare.as time goes on the new bell has become historic in it's own right. i was reading there is also a bell nearby that was made in 1976....as i read your post i was reminded of structures built by the wpa in the 30's to describe historic places and geology.as time has gone by these structures themselves have become historic.
It was mostly business with extra days added on, last week. It was my first time in Philly. It's a better place to visit than I had been told to expect. The historic district is loaded with nice restaurants and bars. The clubs have live music seven nights a week, and the giant City Hall at the center of town is an architectural masterpiece. I knew more or less what to expect from Independence Hall, but they have also preserved several other historic buildings nearby, including those that originally housed the US Congress and the Supreme Court before the move to DC. The old House chamber was the site of John Adams' swearing-in as President, back in the days when a peaceful transfer of power was a rare and special thing anywhere in the world. Yes, just think of all the major events in our history that have taken place on the Centennial Bell's watch. One of them was a visit to Independence Hall by Queen Elizabeth, who was presenting the 1976 bell as a Bicentennial gift to the US, in person. It is a true replica of the Liberty Bell, except without a crack. Cast in a modern alloy, it is unlikely to crack unless abused. When the Centennial Bell rings the hour, from ground level, the striker barely appears to move. And it is LOUD. I could hear it a block away, in my hotel room, with the windows tightly shut. If they rang it at full power, you could surely hear it halfway across town. It has rung in the arrival of two new centuries, and for celebrations at the end of World War I and World War II. Not a bad career for a bell. The Liberty Bell didn't have a name until abolitionists began using it as a symbol of freedom in their literature published a few years before the Civil War. They originated the Liberty Bell hype and misinformation that continues to this day. * * * Philadelphia is completely over-the-edge fanatical about Ben Franklin, as they should be. He lived most of his life there and is buried about two blocks from Independence Hall. I bought a book of some of his less famous quotes, which show a very different side of him. He could certainly be proper and formal when the situation called for it, but he could also write amusing, entertaining material that would be a much better fit for Hip Forums than a history book. The collection's title is Fart Proudly. The man was a bit ahead of his time.
I just read a history of the final days of the Revolution. Ben Franklin figures very prominently as the US Ambassador to France. If France hadn't taken the American side during the Revolution, we'd undoubtedly all be calling each other "old chap" now as we sipped tea each afternoon. And Franklin was a large part of keeping France on the American side. So it's not an exaggeration to say that Franklin was just as important to the success of the American Revolution as Washington was.
Intellectually, Franklin and Jefferson certainly contributed more to the cause than Washington. I think of them as The Big Three. All were indispensable. I took a side trip out to Valley Forge, where Washington's leadership and military skills surely saved the Continental Army from falling apart in the second winter of the war. The British were occupying Philadelphia, and the US government was temporarily exiled to York, PA. William Penn is another early leader who should not be forgotten. As the founder of Pennsylvania, he set many precedents in terms of individual rights and freedoms that later came to be viewed by Revolutionary leaders as fundamental parts of what it means to be American. For example, he wrote the first legal document in the Colonies that guaranteed religious freedom to all citizens. For several years, the Colony of Pennsylvania was the only place in the British Empire where Catholic Mass could be celebrated openly and publicly. William Penn's larger than life statue stands on top of City Hall, facing Independence Hall.
