29 / 50
At 11 o’clock on the morning of July 8, the great bell—
which would come to be known as the Liberty Bell—in
the State House steeple started to
peal
, calling citizens of
Philadelphia to the public square for what was sure to be
an important announcement.
The people of Philadelphia had known the declara-
tion was forthcoming. Hundreds of citizens flocked to
the public square.
Just past noon, Colonel John Nixon, an officer in the
Continental Army, strode out of the State House, scaled
the steps of a platform in the courtyard, and read the
Declaration of Independence to the American people.
When Colonel Nixon finished, the bell in the State House
steeple started ringing. In the crowd, people shouted:
“God bless the free states of North America!”
And then nine soldiers from Pennsylvania marched to
the Chestnut Street entrance of the State House and, as
hundreds of Americans cheered, ceremoniously removed
the royal coat of arms from above the door. Later that
night, the coat of arms was burned in a huge bonfire lit by
the new citizens of America to celebrate their freedom.
27
A Bold Act of Defiance
Text-Dependent Question
Who were the first two people to sign the Declaration of Independence?
Research Project
The delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence pledged to each other
“our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Create a list of all the men who
signed the declaration, and look up each one in an encyclopedia to find out what sort
of price they paid for their commitment to the Patriot cause. Were any of them killed
or captured by British soldiers? How many lost family members to the war? Did any of
them benefit in a material way from independence, and if so, how?