There is a crack in the Liberty Bell. What good is a cracked bell? Can it toll the hour, sound an alarm, mourn the dead, or sing in celebration? No, such a bell cannot do the work for which bells are made.

The bell did function as bells should when it hung in the tower of the old Philadelphia statehouse. It rang faithfully to call people together to hear the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. But a previous crack came back to haunt the bell when it rang in mourning for the late Chief Justice John Marshall. A new, larger crack was now to silence the bell.

The statehouse where the bell hung became known as Independence Hall. In this hall our Declaration was adopted and the U.S. Constitution came into being. These documents express the high ideals of the nations founders. They proclaim that all people are created equal with rights such as life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness and that we should enter into a more perfect union to secure and maintain these rights.

Today we enjoy many rights and liberties; however, there is still injustice. Because of race, color, gender, language, economic status, religion or other characteristics, not all of us enjoy the promises of the Declaration and the Constitution. There is a crack in the reality of our ideals.

Perhaps the Liberty Bell is a symbol of our ideals and our imperfection. As we view its crack, we are reminded of the cracks in ourselves and in our society. Yet, despite the crack, the bell calls us to renewed dedication. The inscription encircling its top calls us as it did the ancient Hebrews to proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof (Leviticus 25:10).

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The Liberty Bell: Metaphor for America - LancasterOnline