 | ||
The Justice Bell (a.k.a. "The Women's Liberty Bell") is a notable replica of the Liberty Bell, created as a symbol for women's suffrage in America.
Contents
Casting and design
The Justice Bell was commissioned by suffragist, Katherine Wentworth Ruschenberger in 1915 and was cast by the Meneely Bell Foundry in Troy, NY. The Justice Bell is a replica of the Liberty Bell, with a few minor design differences. The Justice Bell does not a have a crack and the words, "Establish Justice" were added after "Proclaim Liberty" on the top line of the inscription. Also, as a symbol of how women were being silenced, the bell's clapper was chained to the side of the bell, not to be loosened until women were permitted to vote.
Women's suffrage campaign
1915 State tour
In an effort to raise awareness for women's suffrage, the bell went on 5,000 mile tour In 1915, visiting all 67 Pennsylvania counties, on the bed of a modified pick-up truck. The truck also carried a sign with the slogan of the suffragist moment: "Votes for Women", a phrase coined by Mark Twain as the title of his famous speech in 1901.
The Justice Bell was met by large crowds, marching bands, and parades everywhere it went. On October 22, 1915, the bell was welcomed to Philadelphia, joining in a parade of 8000 people, witnessed by a crowd of 100,000 people. Anna Howard Shaw's "Yellow Suffrage" automobile also appeared in the procession. The parade on Broad Street led to a ceremony held at the Academy of Music, which was attended by many dignitaries.
1920 National tour
The bell also traveled to other states in 1920 to raise awareness for the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which would give women the right to vote. The Justice Bell was taken to the first national convention of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (National Women's Party) in Washington, D.C. It was also present at the national suffrage convention in Chicago.
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. The Justice Bell was sounded at a celebration ceremony held on the steps of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 25, 1920..
Post 19th Amendment
Beginning in 1920, the Justice Bell has been stored on the grounds of Valley Forge National Park, after being denied a permanent installation on Independence Mall.
Since 1943, per Katherine Wentworth Ruschenberger's will, the Justice Bell permanently resides in the chamber of the National Patriots Bell Tower at the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Park.
In April 1995, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, the Justice Bell traveled again. It was displayed in the rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg for a week and then at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, before embarking on a yearlong anniversary tour of Pennsylvania. On August 22, 1996, the Justice Bell returned to Washington Memorial Chapel, where it remains on public exhibition.
In 2015, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Justice Bell, Independence National Historical Park unveiled an exhibit titled “Independence Hall & Votes for Women” in the Liberty Bell Center, located on Independence Mall.
On September 13, 2015, during a ceremony held at the Washington Memorial Chapel, celebrating its 100th year anniversary, the Justice Bell was rung and the bell's clapper was symbolically re-chained.