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The Liberty Bell, originally a bell made in England in the 1750s for the Pennsylvania State House (today's Independence Hall, outside the window), went on to become a symbol of liberty for the United States of America. Although the legend of the bell ringing to mark the Declaration of Independence cannot be verified, it became a symbol of America's other struggles for freedom, including the abolition of slavery and the extension of voting rights to women.

The bell's trademark crack was a result of a manufacturing defect common in English bells of the time. Repeated attempts to repair the crack did not hold, and in fact made it even worse; as a result, the bell has not been rung since the 1840s, and a bracing supports the bell underneath to protect it from further damage. It is interesting to note that despite England's industrial prowess of the 18th Century and despite this bell's status as an American national symbol, the bell itself is outright primitive compared to Asian bells from nearly a millennium earlier. (For example, this 771 AD Korean bell, much larger at 17 tons, still rings today.)