Bridgewater, Va. – The Treasury Department announced on Wednesday April 20th, abolitionist, and anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman is to replace the 7th president of the United States, Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. This is a mark in history because she will not only be the first African-American to appear on United States paper currency, but also the first woman in over a century.
The original plan was to have a woman replace founding father Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill. But that plan was revoked according to Jacob Lew, the Treasury Secretary, when the Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway musical portraying Hamilton’s life gained a lot of support, as reported by USA Today.
In Lew’s quest to find the right woman to be featured on United States currency, he stumbled across a book written by
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I 'm a Civil War, historian, and I was unaware," as reported by USA Today. So by having her on the $20 bill, it will help to raise awareness for others who do not realize her importance since the $20 has more visibility than the $10; with it being 8.6 billion to 1.9 billion.
Changes are not only coming to the $20 bill, but also to the $5 and the $10 according to USA Today. President Abraham Lincoln will remain on the front of the $5 bill, but the back will be changed. The image of the Lincoln Memorial will represent the historic events that occurred there, like Marian Anderson 's 1939 Opera concert and Martin Luther King Jr. 's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech.
The $10 bill will depict the women’s suffrage movement on the back by honoring Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul. As Harriet Tubman is placed on the front of the $20 bill, Andrew Jackson will then be moved to the back where the image of the White House will remain, but have Jackson be a part of