Of course, whether Harriet Tubman would be pleased that her portrait on American currency will join the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ben Franklin, I can not say.
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Now the two will ironically be linked, as the U.S. Treasury decided on Wednesday to put abolitionist Tubman on the front of the new $20 bill, replacing former president Jackson, who will be moved to the back of the bill.
The slew of changes give the Treasury “a chance to open the aperture to reflect more of America’s history”, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew told reporters on a conference call. The first US treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, will remain on the front.
What’s just as rough is being an escaped slave like Tubman, who then returns to the south to lead other slaves to freedom through the underground railroad.
How ironic and revolutionary to have an African-American abolitionist push a white US president and slave owner off the $20 bill. DePaul freshman Merrick Jackson said. His visage will now grace the back of the $20 bill. Maybe we do the $2 bill or we do another bill. The Treasury Department’s choice of Tubman was aimed at addressing the nation’s history of racial and gender inequality.
The United States government has made a decision to place a female African-American civil war hero and anti-slavery activist, Harriet Tubman (1822-1913), on the front of the $20 bill that is due to be unveiled in 2020.
On the flip side, many people feel that Jackson should be removed from the bill entirely and Tubman should be given her rightful place on the front and back.
Despite Tubman’s service for the Union, which included scouting for a raid that freed more than 700 slaves, it was not until 1899, more than 30 years after the Civil War ended and after repeated requests and congressional action, that she received a military pension based on her own merits.
The last woman featured on US paper money was Martha Washington, who was on a dollar silver certificate from 1891 to 1896.
“The United States loves a rebel, and they found a brilliant one in Harriet Tubman”, Peraza said.
The major currency re-do, made official this week by current Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, is meant to provide new protections against counterfeiting.
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“The college, which is named for the first US secretary of the Treasury who also served as its first trustee, also supports Secretary Lew’s intent to add illustrious women in USA history on the $10 bill and to honor Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill”, said the message.
