Eleanor Roosevelt appears to be the favorite in a poll from Marist asking participants which of six female candidates they would choose as the face for the new $10 bill.
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Close behind her, however, is African American abolitionist and humanitarian Harriet Tubman, who had 20 percent of the vote.
Who will replace Alexander Hamilton on the bill has been the subject of much debate since Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced in June it will be the first in more than a century to feature a woman. Former supreme court justice Sandra Day O’Connor garnered a distant 4%.
Recommended: How a lot have you learnt about America’s first women? However, Lew will make the ultimate decision.
Let’s be real – it would be pretty sweet to see any one of these incredible historical women grace the $10 bill, which will be unveiled in 2020.
“[Eleanor] Roosevelt’s public involvement in politics and social policy dramatically changed the perception of women in the public sphere”, writes blogger Brandie Temple for the National Women’s Law Center website. Some, including Hillary Clinton, have criticized the fact that whichever woman chosen will still share the bill with Hamilton. “It is on her shoulders that female legislators, governors, judges, and presidential hopefuls now stand”.
Eleanor Roosevelt would certainly be a sensible choice given her many incredible accomplishments.
When votes were sorted according to race, Harriet Tubman led among African Americans with 47%.
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In the Marist poll, about one in three women (33%) selected the longest-serving former first lady. The final redesign, however, will not be compete for several more years.
