US-3559892 & SW DO-287 Liberty Bell - a revered symbol of American freedom

The Liberty Bell bears a timeless message: "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof".  This is from Leviticus 25:10.

US-3559892 Postcard from Michaela (2 Sep 2015) Postcrossing

 

The State House bell, now known as the Liberty Bell, used to ring in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now called Independence Hall).  It was originally meant to be a signal bell.

The State House bell became a herald of liberty in the 19th century. The bell's inscription provided a rallying cry for abolitionists wishing to end slavery. The Anti-Slavery Record, an abolitionist publication, first referred to the bell as the Liberty Bell in 1835, but that name was not widely adopted until years later. Millions of Americans became familiar with the bell in popular culture through George Lippard's 1847 fictional story "Ring, Grandfather, Ring", when the bell came to symbolize pride in a new nation.

The bell weighed 2,080 lbs. at order. It is made of bronze. It's 70% copper, 25% tin and contains small amounts of lead, gold, arsenic, silver, and zinc. The bell's wooden yoke is American elm, but there is no proof that it is the original yoke for this bell. There is no evidence that the bell rang on July 4 or 8, 1776.

These postcards came from (1) Carol (15 September 2014) Swap-bot and (2) Michaela (2 September 2015) Postcrossing.