Winona McDonald) age 12, of Window Rock, Ariz., for her question:
HOW DID THE LIBERTY BELL CRACK?
Liberty, for either an individual or a group, means an absence of unreasonable coercion. Three conditions seem necessary for liberty: a system of laws protecting individuals from coercion so long as they act within their assigned rights, a government operating through the willing participation of its citizens and institutions which serve to organize individual actions.
One of the greatest symbols of liberty in the United States is the treasured relic called the Liberty Bell. The historic Liberty Bell is actually a symbol of American independence. It was rung in Philadelphia in 1776 to announce the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The famous bell was ordered in 1752 by the Pennsylvania provincial council for the golden jubilee of Penn's Charter of Privileges of 1701. Cast in England, the bell cracked when it was tested shortly after its arrival. It was almost immediately recast in Philadelphia from the same metal, and for a time seemed to be perfect. The bell weighs about 2,080 pounds and had a $300 price tag on it when it came from England. On the bell is this inscription, taken from the Old Testament: "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.'' The line comes from Leviticus 25:10. The bell tolled in joy when the Declaration of Independence was signed, and it sounded out happily at each successive anniversary until 1835.
On July 8, 1835, the bell cracked while being rung during the funeral of John Marshall, chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
In 1839 the bell became known as the Liberty Bell. Before that time it had been called the Old State House Bell, the Bell of the Revolution or Old Independence. The name stuck when abolitionists started calling it the Liberty Bell.
The Liberty Bell is no longer rung. It has, however, been sounded on a number of special occasions. On June 6, 1944, for example, when the Allied forces landed in France, city fathers in Philadelphia struck the bell. Sound equipment broadcast the tone to all parts of the nation.
From 1753 until Jan. 1, 1976, the. Liberty Bell was proudly displayed in Philadelphia's famous Independence Hall. On the first day of America's Bicentennial year, however, the bell was moved to a new permanent residence: a special pavilion located just across the square from Independence Hall.