ring out the NEWS Long ago people did not have televisions or the Internet to find out important news The easiest way to let people know that something important was happening was to ring a bell The sound of the bell could be heard throughout towns and even into the countryside When people heard the bell they gathered together in the center of town Someone would stand before the crowd and read the news out loud Bells also rang to warn people of an attack or other danger Ringing a bell was an easy way to alert everyone and spread important news Bells can be found in churches and other public places Perhaps the most famous bell is found in the city of Philadelphia Pennsylvania This bell rang for some of the most important events in U S history The bell has not rung for more than 100 years However even though it is silent the Liberty Bell is an important symbol of America 4 The now-silent Liberty Bell may be the most famous bell in America
Bells like this rang in towns all across the American colonies 5
a bell for philadelphia During the 1750s Pennsylvania was a colony in North America Like the other twelve colonies Pennsylvania was ruled by Great Britain Philadelphia was the capital of Pennsylvania colony The most important building in Philadelphia was called the State House A group called the Assembly led the colony These leaders met at the State House to discuss government business The Philadelphia State House shown in a drawing made in 1848 6
IT’S A FACT The original bell weighed 2,080 pounds and measured 12 feet around at the bottom The clapper inside the bell weighed 44 5 pounds The bell cost 225 In 1751 the people in Philadelphia decided they wanted to put a large bell in the State House There weren’t any bell makers in the city So Philadelphia sent an order to a company in England called the Whitechapel Bell Foundry In 1752 a ship carried the new bell across the ocean and delivered it to the State House People came from all over the city to hear the new bell ring They were in for a sad surprise When the bell was rung it did not make a loud beautiful sound Instead the sound was a dull clank This church bell was cast at the same London foundry as the Liberty Bell 7
