When the United States declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, the Liberty Bell eventually rang out in celebration. (Since the declaration wasn't read aloud for four days, there's a bit of a delay involved.)
The 2,000-pound bell already had been in use for almost 25 years at that point. During the Revolutionary War, it was smuggled out to Allentown to avoid capture by the British, but returned to usage after the war. Once the Revolution was won, no one paid a great deal of attention to it. Then in the 1830s, abolitionists started to call it the Liberty Bell.
In 1846, on Washington's birthday, the bell supposedly (stories differ) developed a crack so that it could never be used again. However, it became a symbol for liberty around that time. Now the Liberty Bell has its own home, a building on the mall near Independence Hall. Tourists parade by it with regularity now.
By the way, an exact replica of the bell has been made. You can hear how it sounds on line.at ushistory.org.
Here's the longer version of the story:
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