As you may or may not know, there was an announcement last week about changing the face on the $20 bill. It currently features our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, who is a controversial figure in his own right. Not only did he sign the Indian Removal Act, which forced tens of thousands of Native Americans out of their homeland and killed thousands more, but he was also notorious for being a staunch supporter of slavery. Despite all his shortcomings, Jackson's dismantling of the National Bank kept the country from falling into economic despair, thus earning him a spot on the $20.
When it was time to start drawing up the new look for the $10 bill, requests from the American public to have a woman featured on American money gained enormous momentum. Ultimately, a petition to have a woman be featured on the new bill was approved. All was well in the world, and everything was in place to replace Jackson on the $20 bill – then entered "Hamilton."
The smash hit Broadway musical exposed the American public to the amazing impact Alexander Hamilton had on our nation in its first few years. He pulled the American economy up by its bootstraps and made American credit competitive enough to keep up with older and more stable countries. Massive public outcry over the removal of our first Secretary of the Treasury from the $10 bill meant a big headache for the Treasury department. The next bill up for redesign was the $20.
Plus, current face Andrew Jackson hated paper money. He probably would have complained about being on the bill in the first place.
The new face of the $20 will be – drum roll please –
Harriet Tubman! Yes, the "Underground Railroad" woman you learned about in your history classes. But she's so much more than that. Not only did she personally save over 300 slaves, but she indirectly saved over 1,000 more. She spoke out publicly against slavery, worked as a spy and a nurse during the civil war and was a leading suffragist in her later years.
Now here comes the weird part: Harriet Tubman, a leading abolitionist who repeatedly endangered her life in order to save slaves, will be on the same bill as Andrew Jackson who was vehemently opposed to abolition. Some have complained that Andrew Jackson is being disrespected by being moved to the back of the bill and that Harriet Tubman is not qualified to be on American currency.
Harriet Tubman is more than qualified to be on our $20 bill and represents our American spirit well. "No Man Left Behind" is something the military (and we as Americans) pride ourselves on. Harriet Tubman was doing just that by repeatedly putting her life in danger to rescue others. If she is not "American enough" to put on the $20 bill, I don't know who is.
