Pennsylvania: Independence National Historical Park

Independence Hall. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

National Park Service

Quick Facts

Location:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Designation:

National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmark

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell symbolize the founding of the United States as an independent nation and have come to be regarded as international symbols of freedom and democracy. The Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and United States Constitution were debated and signed in Independence Hall.

The Liberty Bell, first known as the State House Bell, emerged as a symbol of freedom after the American Revolution. Its inscription “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof,” served as an inspiration and a political call to arms for the abolitionist movement and the campaign for women’s suffrage.

During the Civil Rights Era, activists used these symbols of freedom to showcase the fight for African American rights on a national stage. From 1942 to 1965, activists for African American rights continued a tradition established by abolitionists in the nineteenth century, when they utilized Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell to call attention to their campaign to achieve equality for Black people.

Two high-profile sets of political gatherings, an annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Liberty Bell for National Freedom Day and sit-ins around the Liberty Bell inside Independence Hall, served as a national stage to highlight and advance the African American Civil Rights Movement.