This A-Z encyclopedia will survey the history, meaning, and enduring impact of the Liberty Bell in American culture. This title provides a one-stop resource for understanding the fascinating history and enduring importance of the Liberty Bell in the fabric of American culture, from the pre–Revolutionary War era to the present day. The encyclopedia explains key concepts, principles, and intellectual influences in the creation and display of the Liberty Bell; profiles its creators and leading champions; and surveys the place of the Bell and its home in Philadelphia's Independence Hall within the political and cultural lexicon of the nation. Additionally, it discusses important milestones and events in the bell's history and provides a sweeping overview of depictions of the Liberty Bell in historical and modern art, music, literature, and other cultural areas. It thus not only serves as a valuable resource in helping readers separate fact from myth regarding one of our nation's most potent national symbols but also provides a unique gateway for exploring the wider history of the United States.

This A-Z encyclopedia will survey the history, meaning, and enduring impact of the Liberty Bell in American culture. This title provides a one-stop resource for understanding the fascinating history and enduring importance of the Liberty Bell in the fabric of American culture, from the pre–Revolutionary War era to the present day. The encyclopedia explains key concepts, principles, and intellectual influences in the creation and display of the Liberty Bell; profiles its creators and leading champions; and surveys the place of the Bell and its home in Philadelphia's Independence Hall within the political and cultural lexicon of the nation. Additionally, it discusses important milestones and events in the bell's history and provides a sweeping overview of depictions of the Liberty Bell in historical and modern art, music, literature, and other cultural areas. It thus not only serves as a valuable resource in helping readers separate fact from myth regarding one of our nation's most potent national symbols but also provides a unique gateway for exploring the wider history of the United States.

What if American history became the stuff of legend? Two hundred years after the Great Blackout obliterates the world's digitized books, a scholar traveling through America collects the oral histories of its people and uses them to write The Americana, a book depicting a golden age ruled by President Washington and the Knights of the Pentagonal Table, figures such as Eisenhower Iron-Hewer, the wizard Ben Franklin, Waynejon the Pilgrim, and Betsee Ross, the Star Weaver. Centuries later, seventeen-year-old Liberty Bell, growing up raised on The Americana, is thrown into a quest with secret agent, Antonio Ice, to find the legendary gold of Fort Knox. But in the Old Forest, electricity is returning, the heroes and legends of The Americana are coming to life, and what Liberty decides to do will determine her country's fate. Includes a copy of the United States Constitution.

Independence Hall is a place Americans think they know well. Within its walls the Continental Congress declared independence in 1776, and in 1787 the Founding Fathers drafted the U.S. Constitution there. Painstakingly restored to evoke these momentous events, the building appears to have passed through time unscathed, from the heady days of the American Revolution to today. But Independence Hall is more than a symbol of the young nation. Beyond this, according to Charlene Mires, it has a long and varied history of changing uses in an urban environment, almost all of which have been forgotten. In Independence Hall, Mires rediscovers and chronicles the lost history of Independence Hall, in the process exploring the shifting perceptions of this most important building in America's popular imagination. According to Mires, the significance of Independence Hall cannot be fully appreciated without assessing the full range of political, cultural, and social history that has swirled about it for nearly three centuries. During its existence, it has functioned as a civic and cultural center, a political arena and courtroom, and a magnet for public celebrations and demonstrations. Artists such as Thomas Sully frequented Independence Square when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital during the 1790s, and portraitist Charles Willson Peale merged the arts, sciences, and public interest when he transformed a portion of the hall into a center for natural science in 1802. In the 1850s, hearings for accused fugitive slaves who faced the loss of freedom were held, ironically, in this famous birthplace of American independence. Over the years Philadelphians have used the old state house and its public square in a multitude of ways that have transformed it into an arena of conflict: labor grievances have echoed regularly in Independence Square since the 1830s, while civil rights protesters exercised their right to free speech in the turbulent 1960s. As much as the Founding Fathers, these people and events illuminate the building's significance as a cultural symbol.

"Who put that giant crack in the Liberty Bell? Would you believe it happened all by itself? Have you ever wondered who was invited to the Boston Tea Party? Well, it wasn't really a party at all! And why do we celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks every summer? This book will answer all kinds of questions about the American Revolution!"--page [4] of cover.

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two of America's most revered symbols of freedom, date back to the British rule of the American colonies. The main structure of Independence Hall was completed in 1732, and the final casting of the Liberty Bell was completed in 1753. Visited by over two million people yearly, these historic icons have been used as backdrops for many political and social demonstrations and speeches. Filled with images from the archives of Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia Department of Records, and collections from around the country, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell illustrates how these two historic relics generate a sense of pride and patriotism set forth by the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

The bestselling author of "Washington's Crossing" and "Albion's Seed" offers a strikingly original history of America's founding principles. Fischer examines liberty and freedom not as philosophical or political abstractions, but as folkways and popular beliefs deeply embedded in American culture. 400+ illustrations, 250 in full color.