Firstly, one of the goals of the President Andrew Jackson was to give more power to the common person. , No Comment. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. After all, its Andrew Jacksons best-known portrait in popular culture: an intense man with over-the-top collar, windswept hair and a look of fierce determination in his engraved eyes. DeSantis critical of China, hazy on Ukraine as he charts foreign policy path, Harriet Tubman will now appear on the $20, New ranking of U.S. presidents puts Lincoln at No. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who like . This newfound behavior may offer a clue to how these reptiles will respond to a warming planet. To the editor: President Trump made the absolute correct decision to keep Andrew Jackson on our $20 bill. Based on current designs, a statue of Jackson would remain on the back of the bill, while Harriet Tubman would grace the front. A long-building campaign to get Andrew Jackson off our national currency has finally culminated with the Treasury Department's announcement that Harriet Tubman will soon replace him on the front of the $20 bill. The following are 7 reasons why Andrew Jackson should be removed from the 20 dollar bill, and replaced with a woman. allowed the Obama-era initiative to lapse. When Jackson was placed on the $20, "it was unproblematic" to say that Jackson was a hero. InApril 2016, Obama announced that Tubman would be replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 and that Jackson would be moved into a scene of the White House on the reverse side. The $20 note includes an embedded security thread that glows green when illuminated by UV light. Jackson's warning to the Carolina nullifiers of the dangers of political extremism makes riveting reading today. No really, we checked. Preliminary designs of the note that were obtained by The New York Times revealed that before Mr. Trump took office conceptual work on a bill bearing Tubmans likeness on the front and a statue of Jackson on the back was already underway. Harriet Tubman debit card from OneUnited raises the question. 6. The Washington Posts Steven Mufson calls the decision to push aside Hamilton in favor of a woman on the $10 bill instead of replacing Jackson on the $20 bill a grave historical injustice.. It didn't, really, for much of American history. Published April 20, 2016 6 min read Nearly 200 years after his death, Andrew Jackson is stepping away from the United States' cultural consciousness. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Passed by Jackson in 1830, this act led to thousands of Native Americans to be forced off their land. It is a continuing show of disrespect to keep Jackson on our currency when he so callously mistreated the Native population. These two acts were awful because he made the Native Americans travel . Few people would quarrel with the Treasury's decision Thursday to honor a distinguished woman with a spot on one of the most commonly used bills of America's currency. Before the Federal Reserve got authority to issue bills, bank notes were printed by the National Banking System, which was susceptible to bank runs and financial panics. Sign up to keep reading and unlock hundreds of Nat Geo articles for free. The problem, perhaps, is that the currency has remained unaltered for so long that any change in it begins to look revolutionary. He was a slave owner, and hemade his fortune on their labor. Create an account to read the full story and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles. Andrew Jackson hated paper money. His blatant disrespect of the Cherokee Nation underscores the inappropriateness of his presence on our currency in a modern, more enlightened era. Jackson was elevated to the $20 bill in 1928, replacing Grover Cleveland. The following are 7 reasons why Andrew Jackson should be removed from the 20 dollar bill, and replaced with a woman. In that context, Feller said, "who deserves more to be on American currency?" Why is Andrew Jackson--a staunch opponent of paper money--featured on the $20 bill? ButFeller, the "Papers of Andrew Jackson" editor, said it's not surprising that the Treasury Department of 1928 would see Jackson as someone worthy of the honor. Heres how paradise fought back. My schoolbooks in the 1950s and 1960s said nothing about it. Although some modern critics complain that Jackson should be dishonored because he was a slaveholder, historian H.W. We don't honor people on the currency just because they're important. He also had disagreements with the Federal Reserve in terms of making paper money. Here's what you need to know about Tubman and the effort to get her on the $20 bill. There are, he said, few men who can for any great length of time enjoy office and power without being under the influence of feelings unfavorable to the faithful discharge of their public duties. Consequently, the Confederacy might have survived, thereby splitting America into two countries. Historians have some ideas as to why putting Jackson on the $20 seemed like a good idea in 1928, when his face was selected to replace Grover Cleveland's. Every generation is entitled to decide its own priorities and honor its own heroes. Andrew Jackson didnt acknowledge the rights of Native Americans. The choice of Jackson for that popular bill has long been a source of controversy particularly among the Native American tribes who were forced to relocate to Oklahoma and give their land to white Southerners under the Indian Removal Act. Hamilton, who had been the face of the $1000, got a downgrade to the $10, where he's been since. The initiative to replace Andrew Jackson came from a campaign called "Women. Only one ancient account mentions the existence of Xerxes Canal, long thought to be a tall tale. Trump calls for mistrial in civil rape case, says judge has made Watch live: White House monkeypox response team holds briefing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Mr. Mnuchin said that notes with new imagery could not be put into circulation until 2028 and that a future Treasury secretary would make the call whether to replace Jackson. Too often America attempts to atone for racism through style and symbol rather than substance. Please rate this article: Similarities between fascism and communism, Similarities Between X Chromosome and Y Chromosome, Similarities Between Natural and Social Sciences, Similarities Between Catholic and Christian. This is the reason Jackson was depicted on our $20. But he was put on the twenty-dollar bill for a reason, not just randomly. The Treasury Department, which Mr. Biden has nominated Janet L. Yellen to lead, plans to accelerate that timeline. All rights reserved. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Jackson isnow mostly remembered as an historical villaina slave owner whose major legislative accomplishment was the act that led to the Trail of Tears, in which thousands of Cherokee were forced from their land. The head of the Cherokee Nation believes Andrew Jackson's portrait should be stripped from the $20 bill and replaced by the late tribal leader Wilma Mankiller justice, he says, for the former president's transgressions against Native Americans. Howard J. Kittell, CEO of the Hermitage, a historical museum devoted to preserving and teaching Jackson's legacy, told The Post by phone that"it's a mystery to us as well." Orphaned in youth, this son of poor. Toward the end of the Obama administration, the Treasury Department recommended that President Andrew Jackson 's portrait on the $20 bill be replaced with one of Harriet Tubman, a black. I believe that representation matters, that it matters for a woman (with liberal values) to be president someday, that Black people and people of color should be in positions of leadership and decision-making in our government. CNNs Wallace spars with Sanders after slamming companies, Giant seaweed blooms beaching begins, expected to worsen, Lightfoot sends letter to Abbott urging him not to send any more migrants. Why was Andrew Jackson put on the $20 bill? After the war, Tubman became involved in the campaign for women's suffrage along withElizabeth Cady StantonandSusan B. Anthony, according to the National Parks Service. We have a better historical understanding now of how those policies and structures continue to impact our society. He should remain on the $20 bill, but on the flip side because there's a flip side of the story. , Syed Hasan A 2015 report placed single Black womens median net wealth at $200; it placed Black mens median wealth at $300. Because, really, fellow citizens, we have better things to argue about than this. Jackson thought that the influence that banks and corporations wielded over government was dangerous and corrupting, a threat to liberty itself. Harriet Tubman will take Jacksons place on the bill. No previous president had talked like that. Feller guesses the resonance isn't intentional. All Rights Reserved. He felt that rotation of office, rather than permanent tenure, should be the principle in a democracy. During a visitto Tennessee in 2017, Trump toured the Hermitage, laid a wreath at Jackson's tomb and called him the "people's president.". To stabilize the system, the government created the Federal Reserve System and redesigned national currency. But by . The group's suggested replacements include Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. The U.S. Department of Treasury has not given a clear explanation about this particular speculation, but observers have pointed out that Jacksons strong resistance to the Central Bank may have actually played a big part in the decision of the Federal Reserve to put his face on the 20-dollar bill and proceed with circulating such paper-based money. President Jackson left a complicated legacy worth remembering, even if he does get booted off the$20. And, in regard to the $20 bill, Andrew Jackson should go. Bidens Treasury will seek to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, an effort the Trump administration halted. THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. Biden press secretary Jen Psaki says the Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put the 19th century abolitionist leader on the $20 bill. During the Confederacy, as each secessionist state printed its own money, images of enslaved people picking cotton and doing other forms of menial labor appeared on the currency in several states. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In the case of Andrew Jackson, the current narrative leans towards the latter. He proposed term limits for elected officials and replaced about 15 percent of the bureaucrats who had been appointed by earlier administrations. Magazines, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower. Commentators like Slates Jillian Keenan have called for his removal from the $20, arguing that Andrew Jackson engineered a genocide. What we dont need is Harriet Tubman on twenties. Michael A. McCoyThe New York Times/Redux. For all the latest news on race and identity: Sign up for USA TODAYs This Is America newsletter, Obamalaunched the effort to get Tubman on the $20 bill in 2014 after receiving aletter from a girl from Massachusetts saying women should appear on currency. I say lore because we all know that even if the symbol of the Confederacy had never been in the Capitol, Confederate ideas have found a hearty welcome there both in the past and in the present. In the case of Andrew Jackson, the current narrative leans towards the latter. First, Jackson was the first man of humble origins to rise to the presidency, becoming a great war hero along the way. Tubman escaped slavery using the Underground Railroad in 1849 and later became a"conductor" who helped free dozens ofother enslaved people. The Biden administration is speeding up the effort to feature a new face on the $20 bill: abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman. Strange as it may seem, for many years Jackson's right to that honor went nearly unquestioned. Treasury watchdog to review delay of Harriet Tubman $20 bill design, painting of Jacksonto be displayed in theOval Office, anink stamp thatreplaced Andrew Jackson's face, The last time a portrait on a bill was changed, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The announcement by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew that Harriet Tubman will take the place of Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill has caused some grumbling. Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman is seen in a picture from the Library of Congress taken by photographer H.B. Anyone can read what you share. And it was very exciting and hasnt moved forward yet, which we would have been surprised to learn at the time. We thought we knew turtles. We need America to put its money on Black women. Although Tubmans activities may merit recognition on another bill, she should not replace Jackson, whose contributions did far more to shape Americas destiny. Not only this, but Hamilton will not be gone completely. Abolitionists were those who sought to abolish the institution of slavery, Harriet Tubman helped free slaves for the underground railroad, but not 300, to Philadelphia, where she took jobs as a domestic and cook, Sign up for USA TODAYs This Is America newsletter, critics have called for Jackson to be removed from the $20 bill, role in the forced, violent transfer of tens of thousands of Native Americans from the South, Harriet Tubman debit card from OneUnited raises the question.