#Womenon20s: Harriet Tubman Bumps President Jackson Off $20 Bill

Slave abolitionist Tubman replaces Jackson on the $20 bill as the US Treasury looks to make currency more inclusive.

(Photo: The Quint)

The paper currency of the United States is all set to undergo some major changes according to Treasury Secretary John Lew’s announcement on Wednesday. Harriet Tubman, an African-American slave abolitionist, will replace former President Andrew Jackson on the front of the 20-dollar bill. He will, instead, be relocated to the back of the note, sharing space with the iconic image of the White House.

Why This Is Good News

Former President Andrew Jackson was more than just a war hero and a common man who rose to power. He was a slave-owner, violently persecuted several native Americans and ironically, was against the national banking system and paper currency! Tubman, on the other hand, was born a slave as an African-American, and dedicated her life to freeing hundreds of slaves and fighting for the abolishment of slavery. She had a chance to escape at 20, but she returned to help her family and dozens of others dehumanised on the daily by the likes of Jackson. During her last few years, she was an outspoken activist fighting for women’s suffrage.

All in all, this is a good first step taken by the Treasury to depict, on millions of pieces of paper circulated daily, the struggles and achievements of women and minorities in America.

(Infographic: The Quint/Pallavi Prasad)

How It Happened

This redesigning comes after the treasury’s announcement last summer to include a woman in the new 10-dollar bill, along with braille assistance for the blind and new measures to guard against counterfeiting. While the intention was to make the pictorial depiction of US history more than pictures of six white men, the announcement was met with much resistance. Historians, economists and politicians were not against the idea of a woman on a dollar bill; they simply did not want Hamilton – the brain behind America’s financial system, including modern credit card processing, to be replaced. With the release and consequent popularity of the Broadway musical Hamilton, the resistance intensified.

The treasury could be seen buckling under the pressure. Women’s groups grew anxious that the much-awaited change might be postponed, indefinitely.

A viral online campaign, “Women in $20s”, was simultaneously gaining momentum. More than 600,000 people voted for the woman they would like to see representing the struggle for gender equality in America. Tubman beat out Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt, among others.

The Treasury aims to reveal the new design in 2020, to celebrate 100 years of women’s suffrage. While the delay is being met with a few furrowed brows, it is better late than never, right?