The Liberty Bell is a national symbol that is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bell was made in London in 1752 and pla
ced in the Pennsylvania State House (now called Independence Hall).The bell first became associated with liberty after writer George Lippard wrote a story in which a bell was rung after the Declaration of Independence was signed. President Franklin Pierce called the bell a symbol of American liberty and the American Revolution. Though it symbolized liberty, the bell also served as a reminder that many people were actually enslaved. The Liberty Bell got its name from early abolitionists who adopted it as their symbol. The abolitionists pointed out that though part of the bell’s inscription says “Proclaim Liberty,” not all the people throughout the land were liberated.
When the bell was rung for the first time after it arrived in Philadelphia, it cracked. The bell’s crack has been repaired twice. One story says that it cracked when it rang after the death of Chief Supreme Court Justice John Marshall in 1835. Another said the bell was cracked during one of its traveling exhibitions. Whatever its origin, the crack is said to add to the bell’s character, so it has not been repaired again.
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Select the correct answer.
What is the purpose of the third paragraph of this article?
A.
It talks about how the bell was associated with liberty.
B.
It implies that Justice John Marshall cracked the bell.
C.
It suggests that the bell needs to be repaired again.
D.
It discusses how the Liberty Bell came to be cracked.
