Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Date: February 20, 2003
Byline: J.D. Higgins 3d, Phoenixville

Letter: Liberty Bell is wrong spot for slavery story

It is shocking to see that the Park Service plans to convert the Liberty Bell site, an icon of the United States' struggle for independence from England, into a monument to our sins of slavery. This is an obvious case of political correctness taken to a level of insanity.

Although our history of slavery is indeed shameful, is this subject particularly relevant in the context of the Liberty Bell? I can only imagine the confusion of the myriads of foreign tourists who visit the bell, only to be inundated with irrelevant information on the slaves who cooked George Washington dinner.

Why not find a more historically appropriate site to pay homage to slavery, such as Gettysburg? Since many good Americans shed their blood there in part to rid our country of slavery, a place like that would be a much better place to remember this sad page in our past.

Return to Start Page | In the News index