Book Minute

The Liberty Bell is one of America’s most iconic monuments. Encircling the bell are words from Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” In 1751, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a bell placed at the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. It was likely commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s “Charter of Privileges,” which outlined Penn’s ideas of rights and freedoms. It was adopted as Pennsylvania’s original constitution. It became known as the “Liberty Bell” when abolitionists adopted it as their symbol in efforts to put an end to slavery in America. An exact replica is prominently displayed in the Bible in America exhibit at Museum of the Bible—a reminder of the Bible’s impact on the history of the United States.