It shouldn't be forgotten that badass Tubman will be on the $20 bill because of grassroots efforts
As noted earlier this week, the Treasury will be placing a woman on the front of a redesigned $20 bill. And the choice, as many hoped, is the fierce and fearless Harriet Tubman, a former slave who returned to the South to free some 300 slaves before the Civil War led to legal freedom for them all.
While not everyone on the left approves of the choice, the selection of Tubman has brought widespread cheers. She epitomizes resistance to injustice. People who walk the walk at the risk of their lives are all too rare. Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination tweeted: "A woman, a leader, and a freedom fighter. I can't think of a better choice for the $20 bill than Harriet Tubman." Bernie Sanders tweeted: “I cannot think of an American hero more deserving of this honor than Harriet Tubman.”
Meanwhile, in great part due to an outpouring of public sentiment, Alexander Hamilton will remain on the newly designed $10.
There’s another bit of good news, too. Previous reports speculated that given the design times and anti-counterfeiting measures that are a necessary part of every bill, Tubman might not appear on the $20 until 2030 because the new $5 and $10 bills would come out first, even though citizen supporters of the revamp of the $20 are eager to see it happen by 2020 in time for the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Reports Wednesday indicate that an earlier roll-out might be the case.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew decided to redesign all three notes to accommodate the various views, and sooner. As for the choice of Tubman, he said that in the public comments he reviewed each night, “the pattern became clear that Harriet Tubman struck a chord with people in all parts of the country, of all ages.” On Wednesday, he said:
Due to security needs, the redesigned $10 note is scheduled to go into circulation next. I have directed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to work closely with the Federal Reserve to accelerate work on the new $20 and $5 notes. Our goal is to have all three new notes go into circulation as quickly as possible, while ensuring that we protect against counterfeiting through effective and sophisticated production.