“For Whom Did the Bell of Liberty Toll?” Juneteenth 2026

The celebration of Juneteenth is imbued with stories chronicling humanity’s relentless pursuit of freedom and liberty. We must accurately remember and share these stories so that the treasured value of liberty is amplified, not diminished. What follows is one such story:

In late autumn 2025, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting in the city nicknamed “The City of Brotherly Love.” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is famous for its cheesesteaks, sports, Rocky, and its number one tourist attraction: the Liberty Bell. On the cool, humid afternoon of my arrival, I opened the curtain of my hotel room window to reveal a view overlooking where the historic bell resides within Independence National Historical Park.

During a prior visit to Philadelphia many years ago, I saw the bell when it was housed in a pavilion just yards away from Independence Hall. Now it stood within view of my window, beckoning me to revisit it at its new home (since 2003) in the Liberty Bell Center. I delayed this call to action until just prior to my departure. After one final glimpse out the window, I recalled that our nation was on the brink of celebrating its semiquincentennial: the 250th anniversary of the bell being rung to signal the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776. So, I set out on foot to revisit the bell.

I was the last visitor of the day. I arrived just minutes before closing and was instructed by a security guard that if I wanted to see the bell, I needed to forgo the other exhibits and proceed directly to it. I hastened to the site and joined a small lingering group of visitors listening to a park ranger discuss the origins of the bell. The ranger posed a pop quiz to our group about when the 2,000-pound cracked bell was first called the Liberty Bell. None of us answered correctly. “It was not called the Liberty Bell until 1839,” she explained. Our curiosity deepened. How did it receive its legendary name? Why did this damaged bell become the nation’s iconic symbol of freedom?

Most are aware of its history of being rung while housed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly Hall (later renamed Independence Hall) to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell also rang for legislative assemblies and other public events. Ironically, the famous crack became apparent when it was rung on July 8, 1835, the anniversary of that first public reading. The crack worsened beyond repair, and the bell was last rung in February 1846 in celebration of George Washington’s birthday.

It was 63 years after the American Revolution that abolitionists, advocating for the freedom of enslaved people, gave the bell its name: the Liberty Bell, in 1839. Since then, it has evolved into a powerful symbol of independence, civil rights, freedom, and equality. Susan B. Anthony and others used the Liberty Bell as a representation of the women’s suffrage movement, which ultimately led to the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote in 1920.

The bell was originally commissioned in 1751 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the privileges of religious freedom granted in Pennsylvania’s Charter. The park ranger pointed out the inscription encircling the bell: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof.” This line comes from the biblical book of Leviticus. The preceding line, absent from the bell, reads, “And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year,” referring to the ancient Hebrew tradition of the Jubilee Year, when enslaved people and property were returned every 50 years.

Although the Liberty Bell has been silent since 1846, its symbolic meaning has reverberated throughout American history. The echoes of freedom that once marked the birth of a nation carried forward to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. However, in parts of the country, particularly the western frontier, news of freedom did not arrive until June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger reached Galveston, Texas, to announce the emancipation of enslaved people. By word of mouth, this day became known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and eventually, Juneteenth.

This year, our nation celebrates 250 years of freedom. A physical bell once rang to announce a document proclaiming self-evident truths: that all are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights, among them liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These truths have endured through the trials of history.

“We ensure that the resonance of liberty continues to be heard, felt, and understood by all.”

The narrative of history teaches us that freedom, once achieved, is not permanent unless future generations are reminded of its fragile and precious nature. Much like the ancient Hebrew tradition of the Jubilee, our nation commemorates freedom annually through Independence Day and Juneteenth. We the People of the United States of America do this so that current and future generations understand the events that secured these freedoms and remain committed to preserving them. In doing so, we ensure that the resonance of liberty continues to be heard, felt, and understood by all.

This marks the fourth year I have had the honor of authoring an article to commemorate the American Board of Family Medicine’s Juneteenth celebration. I invite those new to ABFM to explore our previous Juneteenth articles and activities. In our inaugural year, we explored the origin of the term “Juneteenth.” This was followed by an examination of Lexington’s and Kentucky’s contributions to African American history. Last year’s theme was “A Celebration of the Art of Freedom.” This year, our theme is: “For Whom Did the Bell of Liberty Toll?”

Gary L. LeRoy, M.D.

Family physician and ABFM Senior Vice President of Diplomate Experience, Dr. LeRoy has been with ABFM since November 2022. Dr. LeRoy has been leading efforts to improve Diplomate experience with board certification, engagement with Diplomates and collaborating organizations, while overseeing communications, outreach, and professionalism.

In addition to being recognized for numerous leadership awards in the medical community for the past 30 years, he is also an award-winning author with a passion for continued learning and teaching. Juneteenth is very special to Dr. LeRoy. He has championed ABFM efforts to help educate staff about the significance of Juneteenth by leading our annual staff celebration and authoring a special article each year.