The Liberty Bell: From Obscurity to Icon (Teaching with Historic Places)

This lesson is part of the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) program.

Residents of Philadelphia in 1776 would not have been able to direct a visitor to the "Liberty Bell." It was there--ringing out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House--but it had yet to be transformed into an international symbol of liberty. By the time the grandchildren of those early Philadelphians were grandparents themselves, however, they could easily have directed a visitor to the site of the famous Liberty Bell. It was still housed at the old State House, but by then the building had been renamed Independence Hall.

Shaped by national and world events, the power of the 2,000-pound Liberty Bell’s message grows in strength: a wreath is laid beneath the bell to commemorate the Thirteenth Amendment, which made slavery illegal in the United States; a crowd gathers outside the Liberty Bell Pavilion for a candlelight vigil to exercise their First Amendment right to disagree with their government; and tourists from all over the world come to see this international symbol of freedom.

Essential Question

What values and ideals does the Liberty Bell represent?

Objective

1. To analyze the historical and cultural influences that shaped the symbolic meaning of the Liberty Bell;
2. To critically evaluate the reliability of particular sources as a way of determining historical accuracy;
3. To determine from the historical record how popular ideas about the past are shaped and changed by current events;
4. To research the way patriotic symbols are used in their own communities as well as the nation.

Full Lesson Plan