160 Tolls for 160 Years: Tribute to the Emancipation Proclamation

This New Year’s Day marks the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation – that momentous document that liberated people held in bondage in rebel states. To mark this occasion and to reflect on 160 years of civil rights progress, the National Bell Festival invites bells to resolutely toll 160 times.

Leading this bell ringing tribute will be Campaign Cabinet members of the National Bell Festival’s new bell tower project to be announced on New Year’s Day. Sixteen individuals will each toll a special bell 10 times, amounting to 160 distinct tolls. With each reverberation, we get nearer the promise of our Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal – a potential, even now, not fully realized.

This special bell ringing tribute will resound at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial. Festivalgoers are invited to gather on the steps of the Memorial and the adjacent Reflecting Pool to listen as we pay tribute to 160 years of history.

This event forms part of the annual National Bell Festival on New Year's Day. Learn more and see the complete line-up of free events and experiences at: Bells.org/Events

Note: This is an outdoor event. Please bundle-up and dress appropriately for the weather. Anywhere on the Memorial grounds will be a wonderful place to hear the bell tolling, particularly the eastern side. We recommend finding a cozy perch in the surrounding paths and lawns. Choose a comfortable seat tucked into a marble wall or step, or spread a blanket for a tasty picnic as the bell rings out for freedom.

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