The Liberty Bell is a symbol of freedom and liberty for US citizens, and has been advertised as such since 1751. The hard reality however is that the liberty bell has been a false sense of hope for many people, and for others, no sense of hope at all. Throughout the founding of the US, the Liberty Bell gave hope to those fighting for the US’s freedom, and a sense of pride and solidarity for those in tough times. The people whom the bell inspired however were mainly white people, as Native Americans were being displaced and assimilated by colonists, African Americans were being enslaved and worked to death, and all other immigrants were treated with the same distaste as those who weren’t white. The education system throughout the US has a habit of painting the United States as the hero in situations that it isn’t, as well as glossing over the atrocities that it committed, to its own people, and others. As the saying goes ‘history is written by victors’ and white people in the US tend to always come out on top.
In the clip, the Liberty Bell is tapped to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who fought for equal rights regardless of race, and left an impression with his “I have a dream” speech which is still referenced today. His wife requested that the bell ring in his honor to ensure the work that Dr. King did for equality in the US and throughout the world is remembered even after his passing. Her request showed that while the US has come a long way, there is still much work to do and that many of the typical ‘signs of hope’ were only signs for a specific group of people. This idea concept is not new, and has been very prevalent throughout the history of the US, though unpopular for people to admit. The constitution was originally written to ensure a fair and equitable society, and to prevent anything that occurred under kings rule to repeat itself. Slavery, women to be treated as second class citizens, and gay people being targeted all being allowed and encouraged in this new constitution. Those who were not protected by the government, did not hold things like the Liberty Bell (which represented equality, freedom and liberty) in as high regard as those who were privileged, as their rights were not being protected and upheld. Many minority groups instead created their own signs of hope which they rallied around. The idea that the liberty bell was seen as the sign of hope for all was/is tarnished by the fact that US citizens were enslaved and treated less than livestock, and women had (and still have) less rights than men. The liberty bell is an important historical artifact, however should not be the only thing when thinking of freedom, and liberty in the US. For many, that idea is a slap in the face, and rather than a uniting force, it is an emblem of the injustices that have occurred, and are currently happening in society today.
- What could be an example that those who fight for Women’s rights use rather than the Liberty Bell?
- How does ringing the bell every year in remembrance of Dr. King’s work show how far the US has come? Why is it a reminder that there is still more to do?
- What could be a modern day Liberty Bell used by the whole world?
- Do you think the US government has done its due diligence to ensure all of its citizens are now equal, and can look to the Liberty Bell as a sign of hope rather than see it as a slap in the face?
- Do you think a symbol (such as the Liberty Bell for the US) could be used to unite feuding countries? Or is this idea too shallow when it comes to larger issues?
I found this assignment insightful, as I took it a different way than most people,a dn focused more on the negative aspects rather than the positives. Although it was insightful, I did not find it as helpful as the 4 weekly questions, as it was much more narrow, and did not expand over multiple ideas like the weekly questions do.