Our Liberty Bell

Magaziner, Henry James. Our Liberty Bell. Holiday House, 2007, 32p., $15.95. 978-0-8234-1892-3
Outlines the history of the Liberty Bell, one of the nation’s most important symbols of freedom.
Everyone knows the Liberty Bell has a crack and that it is a symbol of American freedom. What they may not know is that the bell has a long and storied history beyond its obvious flaw. Magaziner’s research provides a readable, entertaining and factual understanding of the bell and the role it continues to play in our nation’s identity. The larger text, accompanied by O’Brien’s trademark humorous pen and ink drawings (John Hancock’s large signature runs off the Declaration, onto the table and drapes on to the floor) will draw readers in to the fascinating history of the Liberty Bell. Cast at a foundry in England in 1752, the bell cracked on it first ring. When the captain of the ship that transported the bell refused to return it to England, the Pennsylvania Assembly had the bell recast in a local foundry, with a slight alteration to the inscription. The first recasting produced a dreadful sound, so it was recast again, this time succesfully. The author discusses the importance of bells as a means of imparting important news and he describes how the Liberty Bell was used to declare important events such as the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell continued to toll for important events up to 1846, when it irreparabily cracked while tolling in honor of George Washington’s birthday. Aside from the events marked by the ringing of the bell, students will learn of how the bell was hidden from the British, how it toured the country and how it came to be adopted by various organizations, such as the Abolitionists, the Suffragists and Civil Rights advocate as a symbol of freedom. Notes the author, “Although it cannot ring, its sound is louder than ever.” Includes a Table of Contents, a glossary and an index. RZ