Will Harriet Tubman soon replace Andrew Jackson on the $20?
Goodbye Andrew, hello Harriet?
The people — well, those who went online and submitted their votes to the Women on 20s group — have spoken, and they would like to see abolitionist Harriet Tubman replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Women on 20s is hopeful the change could happen by 2020, the centennial of the 19th Amendment, and as the Los Angeles Times explains, it wouldn't be too difficult to swap Jackson out for Tubman: Government rules state that the Treasury secretary (with input from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing) can change the portraiture on paper bills.
So, why are they trying to give Jackson the old heave-ho? The seventh president remains a controversial figure, as he supported the expansion of slavery out West and authorized and enforced the Indian Removal Act of 1830. While Tubman received the most votes to oust Jackson, other women who were nominated include Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, and Rosa Parks.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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