In 2016, President Obama announced that Harriet Tubman would be on the face of the $20 bill by 2020 and it has since then been pushed off by the Trump administration. It has now been announced that the Biden administration is taking steps to accelerate having Tubman featured on the $20 bill.
This will be a historical moment for our country, given that there has never been a female on our paper currency. Although there have been women on one-dollar coins, like Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea, have since then been discontinued due to their low demand and are often only found among collectors. In addition, after the Sacagawea gold dollar coin was discontinued, it was replaced by gold dollar coins that commemorated our presidents who are already featured on our paper currency.
It seems that all throughout our history, those that get commemorated and celebrated are white men. When one thinks of historic Americans, the first thing that pops into mind is most likely a white man. On the other hand, if one were to think of historic American women, not much comes to mind, and the same holds true if one were to look up a list of historic American women. While there are lists, there are very few names on the lists that are commonly recognized or taught and focused on in history classes like, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman.
After asking my roommates what names came to mind when thinking about historic American women, they were able to come up with Betsy Ross, who allegedly sewed the first United States flag, Rosa Parks, who is known for her bus boycott, Suzanne B. Anthony, who was fought for women’s suffrage (although they didn’t know why they knew her name), and Harriet Tubman.
Harriet Tubman was an infamous former slave who had escaped and dedicated her life to helping other slaves gain their freedom. In addition to this, Tubman was also a nurse, a Union spy, and is considered the first African American woman to serve in the military. Due to Tubman’s work in the Underground Railroad, Tubman learned the towns and transportation routes in the South which made her a perfect Union spy during the Civil War.
Women are not focused on within American history, which is utterly disappointing since our country has mostly developed past our misogynistic ideals. It should also be pointed out that, additionally, there has never been a black person commemorated on any type of American currency. The only thing that comes to mind when thinking about the national commemoration of a singular black person is Martin Luther King Junior Day, which is ridiculous because you’d think that our country would celebrate, commemorate, and focus on teaching about more than historic white American men.
Having Tubman replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill would be a big step for women and black people, hopefully working towards ending the times of misogyny and white supremacy.
