Editor's Note - This story first appeared May 13, 2015. The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that Harriett Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
Original post - The woman chosen to replace Andrew Jackson – a known slave holder - on the $20 bill could be a former slave who brought other slaves to freedom.
A neat fact.
But there's another fact that makes her an even more perfect choice.
Tubman, who led dozens of other slaves through the Underground Railroad, would be the first African American and second woman to grace American paper currency. Three women have appeared on US coins: Susan B. Anthony on the dollar coin, Sacagawea on the dollar coin; and a special-issue quarter coin featuring Helen Keller that was issued in Alabama.
>>Related: Tubman museum in Georgia rejoices over the news
"Our paper bills are like pocket monuments to great figures in our history," Women On 20s Executive Director Susan Ades Stone said in a statement. "Our work won't be done until we're holding a Harriet $20 bill in our hands in time for the centennial of women's suffrage in 2020."
Why would Harriet Tubman be the perfect choice for this momentous occasion?
Vox.com says it's because Tubman's work with the Underground Railroad overshadowed her service as a scout, cook, nurse – and spy - during the Civil War. She only received her pension 35 years after the end of the Civil War.
The U.S. government later negotiated her pension down from – wait for it -- $25 per month to $20.
Tubman's face on the $20 bill would honor her hard work and her sacrifice.
About the Author
