Independence Hall, Celebrate America's Freedom , Celebrating Freedom Resources, Social Studies, Glencoe

Social Studies, Celebrating Freedom Resources

Celebrate America's Freedom

Independence Hall
Location: Chestnut Street between 5^th and 6^th Streets

Independence Hall Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [reproduction number LC-H8-CT-P04-003]

Independence Hall is a World Heritage Site. Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were created there. Construction of Independence Hall – formerly known as the Pennsylvania State House – began in 1732. The original architect was Andrew Hamilton. Construction of the building was completed in different stages and was not finished until 1753, twenty-one years after the groundbreaking. On the north end of Independence Hall is a statue of George Washington, and on the south side, in Independence Square, is a statue of Commodore John Barry, the "Father of the American Navy." From his beginnings as a humble cabin boy, Barry rose to senior commander of the entire United States fleet. He outfitted and supervised the construction of the first frigates built under the Naval Act of March 27, 1794.

Independence Hall has been called the birthplace of the United States for many reasons. It was within its walls that the Declaration of Independence was adopted and where the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted, and signed. During British occupation, Independence Hall was used as a barracks and hospital for American prisoners. Interestingly, the basement of the building served as the city's dog pound for a time, and the second floor was once home to Charles Wilson Peale's museum of natural history.

Independence Hall is actually part of the larger Independence National Park, located in the center of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the park visitors can see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, the First and Second Banks of the United States, and the site where Benjamin Franklin's home once stood. The park spans approximately 45 acres and has about 20 buildings open to the public.

John Barry Monument

John Barry Monument
Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [reproduction number LC-D4-70651]

Included in the park is the Liberty Bell pavilion where the Liberty Bell rests. The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell from Whitechapel in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges. The quotation, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10, was inscribed on the top of the Bell. The Bell arrived in Philadelphia in September 1752, but was not hung until March 1753. When the Bell was rung for the first time, it cracked. Philadelphia foundry workers John Pass and John Stow were given the cracked bell to be melted down and recast. When the new bell was raised, no one in the town was pleased with the tone of the bell. Pass and Stow tried again, but the townspeople were still displeased with the bell and requested that Whitechapel cast a new one. When the second bell arrived from England, the people decided that it sounded no better than the Pass and Stow bell. In the end, the original bell remained and was rung for many important events, such as the First Continental Congress in 1774, the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775, and the summoning of the citizenry for the first reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776. When the Bell was rung on Washington's Birthday in 1846, the crack on the Bell expanded, rendering the Bell unringable. Starting in the 1880s, the Bell traveled to cities throughout the land "proclaiming liberty." The Liberty Pavilion was opened in 1976, in preparation for the nation's bicentennial celebrations. Now, on every Fourth of July, the bell is "rung" (symbolically tapped) in unison with thousands of bells across the nation. The Liberty Bell pavilion will be replaced with a new pavilion in the fall/winter of 2003.