FIRST PUBLIC READING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (JFK+50) On July 8, 1776, the good citizens of Philadelphia were called to the State House Yard by the ringing of the Liberty Bell* signaling the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence had been approved by the Second Continental Congress meeting in the Pennsylvania State House on July 4, 1776.
The public reading of July 8th was done by Colonel John Nixon**.
The National Park Service says that after the reading "and long into the night" the city's bells rang in celebration.
*The Liberty Bell is 4 feet high & 12 feet in circumference. She weighs 2080 pounds & consists of 70% copper, 20% tin & 10% other metals. The Liberty Bell was commissioned from Lester & Pack of London (Whitechapel Bell Foundry) in 1752.
The bell bears the inscription "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" which comes from the Book of Leviticus (25.10). The famous "crack" in the bell is said to have resulted from tolling the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835.
**John Nixon (1733-1808) was born in Philadelphia & became a member of the 1st committee of correspondence in Philadelphia. After service in the Revolutionary War, he became director of the Bank of Pennsylvania & served as president of the Bank of North America from 1792 until his death.
SOURCE
"First Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence," National Park Service, www.nps.gov/
Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo by Bev Sykes (2004)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (JFK+50) On July 8, 1776, the good citizens of Philadelphia were called to the State House Yard by the ringing of the Liberty Bell* signaling the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence had been approved by the Second Continental Congress meeting in the Pennsylvania State House on July 4, 1776.
The public reading of July 8th was done by Colonel John Nixon**.
The National Park Service says that after the reading "and long into the night" the city's bells rang in celebration.
*The Liberty Bell is 4 feet high & 12 feet in circumference. She weighs 2080 pounds & consists of 70% copper, 20% tin & 10% other metals. The Liberty Bell was commissioned from Lester & Pack of London (Whitechapel Bell Foundry) in 1752.
The bell bears the inscription "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" which comes from the Book of Leviticus (25.10). The famous "crack" in the bell is said to have resulted from tolling the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835.
**John Nixon (1733-1808) was born in Philadelphia & became a member of the 1st committee of correspondence in Philadelphia. After service in the Revolutionary War, he became director of the Bank of Pennsylvania & served as president of the Bank of North America from 1792 until his death.
SOURCE
"First Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence," National Park Service, www.nps.gov/
Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo by Bev Sykes (2004)
