The New Face of the $20 Bill
At the end of his presidency, Andrew Jackson dedicated his farewell address to an issue he passionately fought against: the installment of paper currency. “It is not by encouraging this spirit that we shall best preserve public virtue and promote the true interests of our country; but if your currency continues as exclusively paper as it now is, it will… inevitably lead to corruption.”
Given his aversion to paper money, it’s ironic, even impolite, that he is placed on the $20 bill. In addition, when considering his abuse toward Indians, status as a slave owner and general cruelty, it’s about time we realize that we don’t want him on the twenty-dollar bill, even more than he would have hated to be on it.
And the replacement of Andrew Jackson is exactly what “Women on 20s,” a non-profit organization, hopes to do by the year 2020. However, their mission extends far beyond just replacing Andrew Jackson. Their goal is to “compel historic change by convincing President Obama that now is the time to put a woman’s face on our paper currency.”
The efforts of this non-profit shed light on how out of sync America is with the nation’s supposed mindset. While America is seemingly becoming more inclusive and accepting of both sexes and all races, the bills remind us of who still holds an unjust amount of control over the nation. The end of the Civil Rights Era is placed at 1968 with the Civil Rights Act, but a look at the Forbes 400 list suggests otherwise. The Women’s Rights era is placed at 1920, yet any look at the gender diversity of representatives, CEOs or the diversity gap in the sciences still reveals blatant sexism. In this nation of progress, the faces on our bills reveal the racism and sexism that still dwell in our nation.
And so, an attempt to change the faces on our bills is ultimately an attempt to change power structures in America. With all white males currently on the bill, there is an implication that only they are worthy enough to serve as representations of our wealth. In replacing them with women and minorities, we show that we all are worthy and prominent in America. Such a change in representation would not only further castaway the bigotry of the past, but would also inspire even more progress and inclusiveness in America.
On May 12, “Women on 20s” released the results of a poll, where over six hundred thousand people gave their input on who they believe should replace Andrew Jackson. The winner, Harriet Tubman, in addition to not having the racist ideals of Jackson, shares many of the qualities looked for in a person who resides on America’s currency. Her story is known by many—she possessed great braveness and is certainly worthy of representing the American economy. And through Tubman we can show the worthiness we strive to hold for the many minorities and women that make America the nation it is.