# A woman will be featured on the new U.S. $10 bill **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 18, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814 "2015-06-18T01:54:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/41 "2015-06-18T14:14:56Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > My understanding is that Grant’s rep for uncontrolled corruption was overblown and strongly tied to the Lost Cause view of the Confederates, and that his reputation as President has been at least [somewhat rehabilitated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant#Historical_reputation) in the last few decades. It was the Gilded Age. There was plenty of corruption: [Scandals of the Ulysses S. Grant administration - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant_presidential_administration_scandals) But yes, his reputation is a bit better now than it was, say, 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/42 "2015-06-18T14:18:45Z")
Given the idea is to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, I think that one of the suffragists would be an obvious candidate. Sojourner Truth would work; she was both an abolitionist and an activist for women’s rights, including delivering a speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. And she was bilingual! (Wikipedia says she grew up speaking Dutch.) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/43 "2015-06-18T14:57:33Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So no non-white women can be chosen? :eek: No, but there are more qualified white women. Eleanor Roosevelt, Jeanette Rankin, Frances Perkins - all served our country more directly. It smacks of tokenism to declare “we need a woman” or “we need a black person” - when you kill two birds with one stone, you aren’t doing black men or white women any favors (minority women do tend to benefit from the “we have to do tokenism, lets get it over with” mentality - I’m not sure that its universal that they WANT to benefit from that sort of tokenism). ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/44 "2015-06-18T14:58:55Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Jackie Kennedy, our hottest First Lady, seems an excellent choice. And she’s replacing Hamilton - who is the hottest dude to appear on our money, so its only fair. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/45 "2015-06-18T15:07:34Z")
Betty Ford. I mean, seems like a natural to go on the “dime-bag” bill. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/46 "2015-06-18T15:08:15Z")
Madonna in her cone bra. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/47 "2015-06-18T15:22:11Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Given the idea is to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, I think that one of the suffragists would be an obvious candidate. Sojourner Truth would work; she was both an abolitionist and an activist for women’s rights, including delivering a speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. And she was bilingual! (Wikipedia says she grew up speaking Dutch.) There are a LOT of suffragists. My personal choice would be Alice Paul if you are going for suffragists. We’ve done Susan B. Elizabeth Cady Stanton is problematic politically, as is Victoria Woodhull (although an interesting choice) or Margaret Sanger. Elizabeth Blackwell would be interesting. You obviously couldn’t put Emma Goldman on U.S. currency, but you could put Jane Addams or Julia Ward Howe or Lucy Stone or Ida Wells. Or the previously mentioned Abigail Adams. But I wouldn’t go for suffragists myself - that was done. I’d go for someone who, like most of the people on our money, made an impact on our political system beyond Civil and Women’s rights. You need someone who is dead. Eleanor Roosevelt is problematic (she is a little left of center, the right will fight it), but probably your best possible choice, both for the impact she had as First Lady, but also for the work she did after FDR passed. Wait a few years and Madeline Albright or Susan Day O’Connor - or a few more and Condi Rice - that’s actually the sort of impact you are looking at. (You could do Edith Wilson, our first female President. Talk about problematic.) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/48 "2015-06-18T15:28:15Z")
(Sandra Day O’Connor - that was a complete slip of thinking one thing and typing another) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/49 "2015-06-18T15:56:58Z")
First the bad news: if introduced today, the new 10 would only be worth $7.80. The good news: it’s not being introduced until 2020, which means it should be up around $7.95 by then. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/50 "2015-06-18T16:24:51Z")
I still say Grace Hopper. Military, a foundational figure in the world of IT, and not a politician. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/51 "2015-06-18T16:30:34Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > But what’s up with this: > Lord forbid we just make a clean switch. we can’t even shit or get off the pot on the dollar coin, what else do you expect? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/52 "2015-06-18T16:55:26Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > so they don’t even know who’s it gonna be they’re just picking a female for the sole purpose of picking a female > imo the most qualified person should be on the $10 bill, not a token choice Shirley, you jest! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/53 "2015-06-18T17:49:04Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Given the idea is to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, I think that one of the suffragists would be an obvious candidate. Sojourner Truth would work; she was both an abolitionist and an activist for women’s rights, including delivering a speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. And she was bilingual! (Wikipedia says she grew up speaking Dutch.) > > There are a LOT of suffragists. My personal choice would be Alice Paul if you are going for suffragists. We’ve done Susan B. Elizabeth Cady Stanton is problematic politically, as is Victoria Woodhull (although an interesting choice) or Margaret Sanger. Elizabeth Blackwell would be interesting. You obviously couldn’t put Emma Goldman on U.S. currency, but you could put Jane Addams or Julia Ward Howe or Lucy Stone or Ida Wells. Or the previously mentioned Abigail Adams. The date of the change is tied to women getting the vote, which is one reason to give it to a suffragist. No matter whom you choose, some people will be unhappy. But selecting Sojourner Truth ticks a lot of boxes; women’s rights, abolition of slavery and she was African-American. Edited to add, even better, she was born into slavery. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/54 "2015-06-18T18:00:07Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > I agree with this, Alexander Hamilton deserves a bill. I say we need to rearrange things. Put a woman on the 10, kick Hamilton up to the 20, and organize some kind of Historical Figure Death Match between psycho-racist-badass Jackson and great-general-awful-president Grant to see who gets to be on the 50. It can be some with a checkered legacy because when was the last time you even saw a $50 bill? I saw a $50 just today. Gave someone change for it even. I was hoping that they’d replace Jackson on the $20. In a perfect world they’d replace him with [Wilma Mankiller](https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Wilma_Mankiller), who has one of the most spectacular names in the history of nomenclature. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/55 "2015-06-18T18:04:00Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > I agree with this, Alexander Hamilton deserves a bill. I say we need to rearrange things. Put a woman on the 10, kick Hamilton up to the 20, and organize some kind of Historical Figure Death Match between psycho-racist-badass Jackson and great-general-awful-president Grant to see who gets to be on the 50. It can be some with a checkered legacy because when was the last time you even saw a $50 bill? Okay, then it would make sense. Jackson and the $20 is the whole reason why this whole campaign to put a woman on bill started. We wanted to get rid of Jackson, so why not replace him with a woman? Maybe they found that $10s are used more often, so it would make more sense to put a woman there. Though, I guess, if Hamilton and Jackson leave, that would be okay. Though I agree removing Grant would be better. Hell, move Hamilton up to the $50. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/56 "2015-06-18T18:04:27Z")
One thing I like is that one of the names put forward in this thread is my sisters name. I definitely want to see Jackson go. If we were still going by his way of thinking we wouldn’t even have any Government issued paper money. Just questionable privately issued bank notes. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/57 "2015-06-18T18:11:47Z")
It should be a notable female scientist or engineer, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/58 "2015-06-18T18:42:03Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > It should be a notable female scientist or engineer, IMHO. I agree. Grace Hopper is a perfect choice. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/59 "2015-06-18T18:51:47Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > I definitely want to see Jackson go. If we were still going by his way of thinking we wouldn’t even have any Government issued paper money. Just questionable privately issued bank notes. That makes me wonder if he was put on there as a form of spite. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814/60 "2015-06-18T19:02:47Z")
I like Grace Hopper, but don’t think she’s quite as important in American history as either Sojourner Truth or Eleanor Roosevelt. At the risk of being whooshed, I assume those who’ve suggested Madonna, Sandra Day O’Connor, Oprah Winfrey etc. are aware that living people can’t be portrayed on U.S. currency. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-will-be-featured-on-the-new-u-s-10-bill/722814.md?page=4)