One of the things I most enjoy about living in Philadelphia is that we are surrounded by history. Whether you are driving through the rolling hills of Valley Forge, riding a bike along the Delaware River at Washington Crossing or even walking under Old Glory as she gently flutters outside of the Betsy Ross House, you feel an immediate connection to the founding of this nation. As iconic as all of these locations may be, there is none more inspiring than Independence Hall and the adjacent Liberty Bell Pavilion.
Prior to the arrival of COVID, tourists would begin queuing up outside the pavilion shortly after the sun rose above the horizon. As I would pass by the line that had begun to wrap around the corner of Market Street, my ears would pick up on languages far different than those brought to the City of Brotherly Love by it’s colonizing inhabitants. The most common languages that I would hear were Mandarin and Russian, but I would also hear Spanish and Hindi. Strangely, the early risers to see the Liberty Bell seldom spoke English.
Frequently playing the role of tour guide to see the Liberty Bell with our guests from out of town, I am fascinated by watching foreigner’s reaction to seeing the bell. They stand patiently in line with church-like reverence. Local school students on late spring field trips normally show ambivalence, either being absorbed in their cell phones or chasing one another as a means of passing the boredom. Foreigners also tend to pose for pictures beside the bell with prideful smiles, whereas most Americans simply pay not much more respect than a slow and go. I guess that they are in too much of a hurry to replicate Rocky’s run up the art museum steps.
Foreign visitors, especially those that do not share at home the same freedoms that we enjoy, seem to have a greater appreciation for the Liberty Bell. They recognize that the rights we are given in this country are something to be coveted and admired. Although I am not privy to their conversations, I suspect that they are envious of the liberties to which our school children are oblivious.
If you stay long enough to carefully study the bell, you will notice a wide crack that just stops short of the inscription “Proclaim Liberty throughout the land”. Two rivets span the crack to prevent further expansion. This rudimentary repair was required to prevent a complete failure of the bell and to maintain the integrity of its tone. Close inspection will reveal that the repair was not successful. A hairline fracture now extends from the end of the repair all the way through “Liberty”.
Recent attempts by our treasonous president and his supporters to suppress the legitimate will of the nation’s citizens now threaten our freedom. What we once took for granted and had assumed was steadfast has now been exposed to be vulnerable. Our Constitution, signed just across the street in Independence Hall, is showing that it may be as fragile as the parchment on which it is written. I am hopeful that the leaders and citizens of this nation that truly cherish Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, will have the courage to stand up against this tyranny and put a stop to the fractures in the foundation on which this nation is founded.
