WomenOn20s.org, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to do away with President Andrew Jackson’s visage on the $20 bill and put a woman on it instead, has been working for months to try and find a suitable replacement. Thanks to some savvy social media interplay and a successful internet voting campaign, they now have one–and she might be a bit of a surprise.
Harriet Tubman, savior of the Underground Railroad, defeated such noteworthy figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, won in the final round after snagging a majority of the over 600,000 total votes.
The victory is, of course, unofficial. But a large number of high-profile politicians and celebrities have begun clamoring for a woman’s face on some form of American currency. Ellen DeGeneres, Chelsea Clinton, Susan Sarandon, and Treasury Secretary Rosie Rios have all made strong supportive statements over the past few months. And President Obama made a few headlines not too long ago when he said that doing so would be “a pretty good idea.” (The WomenOn20s votes have been sent to the President, in the form of a petition.)
In addition, several bills that would put a woman on the $20 have been introduced in Congress.
You might be wondering: “Why Andrew Jackson? What did he ever do?” His role in the Indian Removal Act has a lot to do with it. He also put mayonnaise in his macaroni and cheese, which historians almost universally agree is an abomination. But mostly it’s the dead Indians.
If Jackson’s face does come off of the $20, which woman would you like to see take its place?
(Photo credits: A-Jax via public domain; Tubman via womenon20s.org)
