A Letter to John Pass and John Stow (birth/death not available)
Dear John…and John,
In 1776, the Pennsylvania State House bell, soon to be immortalized as the Liberty Bell, hung in the steeple of what we now call Independence Hall.
Commissioned in 1751 from London to commemorate Pennsylvania’s 50th Constitution anniversary, it was a 2,000-pound sentinel of civic life.
Its purpose was practical: calling lawmakers to sessions, summoning townspeople for announcements, and marking the pulse of a city on the cusp of revolution.
The bell bore a simple yet prophetic inscription from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.”
In 1776, this was more than words etched in bronze;
it was a clarion call, a symbol quietly embedded in the everyday rhythms of Philadelphia.
Contrary to popular legend, the bell did not ring on July 4.
That date was reserved for the deliberations and approval of the Declaration itself.
Historians widely accept that the bell first pealed on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to hear Colonel John Nixon read aloud the newly ratified Declaration.
Its ring carried the weight of expectation, the breath of rebellion, and the promise of independence.
In a city filled with tension, uncertainty, and the whispers of war, the bell spoke to both civic and moral urgency.
And by 1777, as British forces threatened Philadelphia, it was removed and hidden in Allentown, protecting it from the furnace and the threat of being melted for ammunition. Even then, it was understood that the bell’s sound was not merely auditory – it was emblematic, a herald of liberty in a land staking its claim to self-determination.
Now ring forward 250 years, and the Liberty Bell stands as a cornerstone of American memory, a cracked yet enduring icon housed in the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the bell’s message resonates with renewed intensity.
Its famous crack, often romanticized as a metaphor for resilience, reminds visitors that liberty need not be flawless to endure.
Millions traverse its polished floors annually, passing through security screenings to touch history, to listen to the echo of freedom in a modern world still striving to fulfill the promise inscribed centuries ago.
Philadelphia has extended the bell’s reach beyond the museum walls.
The “Bells Across Pennsylvania” project places dozens of custom-designed fiberglass Liberty Bell replicas in neighborhoods, public squares, and business corridors, bridging historic reverence with contemporary art and civic pride.
One such replica at Mother Bethel AME Church honors Black excellence and the enduring role of African American communities in the fight for equality.
These installations, often created in partnership with America250PA and Mural Arts Philadelphia, turn the city itself into a living gallery of liberty, a call to reflect on the nation’s ideals, progress, and ongoing challenges.
And the symbolism has grown layered, John(s).
Beyond marking independence, the bell has become a quiet advocate for civil rights, women’s suffrage, and social justice.
Its crack – a feature born of imperfection – reminds citizens that liberty, like democracy, requires vigilance, courage, and resilience to survive the stresses of time and human ambition.
It teaches that a nation can be flawed yet still aspirational, fragile yet enduring.
The biblical inscription continues to inspire activism, challenging each generation to proclaim liberty, not as a static historical artifact, but as a living obligation to all inhabitants of the land.
John and John, if you could witness both the steeple and the city streets today, you would see the same spirit you helped cast in bronze: a nation mindful of its ideals, celebrating its history, and compelled to safeguard the freedoms so boldly proclaimed 250 years ago.
The bell’s sound, whether literal or metaphorical, continues to ripple across time, calling all of us to remember that liberty, once proclaimed, must be actively defended, cherished, and shared. And that crack? We carry it everywhere we go.
With reverence, curiosity, and the joy of enduring freedom,
—The Radical Left 🔔🖤
And dear reader, maybe the deeper question after 250 years is: when we venerate symbols of freedom, are we honoring history – or are we actively participating in it?
Does liberty reside only in bronze, parchment, or ceremony, or is it measured by the vigilance, courage, and empathy each generation brings to its defense?
And as echoes of the bell ripple through museums, replicas, and city streets, how do we ensure that its call remains alive, compelling us to act, reflect, and share the responsibilities of freedom in a world still learning what it truly means to proclaim liberty for all?