Six Words: Adopt, Proclaim, End, Sale, Appeal, Transport
“Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” That is a phrase that we’ve all heard. It is engraved on the State House Bell in Pennsylvania. The bell dates back to 1751 when it was cast in London for transport to Philadelphia. It was used to appeal to lawmakers to gather for meetings and for townspeople to hear the news. That’s how it was used for about 90 years, until it cracked from hard use. There was no warranty and the crack is still there. Crack bell doesn’t have the same ring though, as crack pot.
The inscription on the bell went pretty much unnoticed. Unnoticed especially by slave holders. Unnoticed until 1835 that is, when the engraving was adopted by abolitionists who wanted to really proclaim liberty throughout the land. People who wanted to end the sale of people.
The phrase, as some of you know, comes from Leviticus Chapter 25, verse 10. As often happens, verses from the bible are cherry-picked to make a point, ignoring the context and the surrounding verses. Leviticus 25 establishes the jubilee year, a year every 50 years, when everyone returns home, and property is returned to its original owner and slaves are set free. What if that had really been done, say, in 1801, 50 years after the bell had been cast? Or 50 years after that, in 1851? By that time the bell had been renamed to the name that we know, The Liberty Bell.
One final thought. I don’t know when the next Jubilee year is, but do you think Brookdale needs to give this building back to the Gaines family then? If you sold a house when you moved here, should you get it back? Would you want it back? Really?