If you haven’t already heard, Harriet Tubman will be replacing Andrew Jackson on the twenty dollar bill starting in 2020. This is a historic decision, because it will be first time in U.S. history that an African American will be the face of U.S. currency, and the first woman in over a century.
Harriet Tubman was selected to be on the bill because of her contributions helping slaves escape the plantation system during the Civil war. She escaped at the age of 29, and instead of leaving for good she went back to help over 300 slaves escape to freedom as well. She accomplished this daunting task using the underground railroad, which was a network of safe houses organized for the purpose of helping the slaves escape.
Although Harriet Tubman is a popular choice for the twenty dollar bill, many people still question the removal of Jackson. Donald trump referred to the swap as “pure political correctness”. Although Jackson was considered one of our best presidents around his time, the modern world criticizes him for some of his policies, including his Indian removal policy that took thousands Indian groups off their land. One of the most famous of these removals is the Trail of Tears when the Cherokee nation was forced to migrate, a process which killed approximately 4,000 Native Americans.
Although I think the Indian removal policies are horrible, I also recognize that hindsight is 20/20, so I try not to be too rough on Jackson. That being said, I believe the time has come to celebrate the contributions of African-Americans and women in this country, and I think putting Harriet Tubman on the twenty dollar bill is a great choice. Jackson will still be on the back of the new design, so he isn’t completely getting booted either.