Bells To Toll, Letting Freedom Ring

by Lesley Misko

Today, April 18, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., keep your ears attentive to the sky as houses of worship around America will ring their bells for freedom. Individuals and other groups are invited to join.

This date and time have been purposefully selected to coincide with the ride of Paul Revere 250 years ago and the beginning of the Revolutionary War— America’s quest for freedom from an abusive British king.

Ringing these bells for democracy today is a symbolic gesture meant to remind Americans of the night when two lanterns were hung at Boston’s Old North Church (“One if by land; two if by sea.”). The lanterns and the tolling of the church bells were prearranged signals that the British were nearing, and attack could be imminent.

The events that night were the culmination of increasingly hostile skirmishes between the British and the colonists over excessive taxes on items like tea, stamps, building materials, and other essential items, as well as the king’s attempt to exert authority over the new colonies.

Paul Revere galloped off into the night, racing against time, to warn the colonists that “the British are coming.” The next day, the “shot heard around the world” was fired at Lexington, and the American Revolution was underway.

We do not know if local churches and others will be participating, but we hope so. The foundation of freedom in our nation is worth commemorating.

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