# Harriet Tubman to Replace Andrew Jackson on $20 Bill **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 20, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739 "2016-04-20T16:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/21 "2016-04-20T18:12:43Z")
They wanted to put Rosa Parks on the back of the bill, but her picture refused to stay there. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/22 "2016-04-20T18:27:28Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I’m a little wary of a whole “set of changes” – let’s not get crazy with changing all our money multiple times. I don’t want the Tubman Twenty changed in five years to someone else. Let’s show a little restraint. There’s no reason we couldn’t have multiple circulating designs of a given denomination. That is, a consistent overall schema to readily distinguish denominations from one other, but with a handful of different figures individually represented at each. Those variations could be introduced one at a time, without pulling designs already circulating. Think of it as an ongoing national history lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/23 "2016-04-20T18:36:29Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > They wanted to put Rosa Parks on the back of the bill, but her picture refused to stay there. This made me quite literally lol Good play. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/24 "2016-04-20T18:37:00Z")
Somewhere, **Liberal** is doing a happy dance. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/25 "2016-04-20T18:39:14Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > This made me quite literally lol > > Good play. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/26 "2016-04-20T18:43:09Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > I’m good with this change. Tubman seems like a good choice, but what’s with keeping Jackson on the back? We don’t put portraits on the back of our money. It might not be a portrait. It could be a group rendering, like the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the [back of the two dollar bill.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_$2_reverse-high.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/27 "2016-04-20T18:44:29Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > $20 bills? Do people still use those? I burn mine to keep warm. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/28 "2016-04-20T18:45:45Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > no need for Obama or MLK" Unless you plan to assassinate Obama, he’s not eligible anyway. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/29 "2016-04-20T18:50:46Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I was so hoping they wouldn’t pick a black woman. Not that Tubman wasn’t a hero, but because now they can say “we already have a black person on our money, no need for Obama or MLK” - “we already have a woman on our money - why bother with Sandra Day O’Connor or Eleanor Roosevelt.” “We already have a minority on our money - what are you whining about, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans?” “See, we are diverse” - all in one shot. Or Sacajawea or Susan B Anthony. Good lord, that was a ridiculous thing to say. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/30 "2016-04-20T18:53:52Z")
**FlikTheBlue** ’s thread merged into the already-existing thread by **PastTense**. Sorry for any resulting confusion. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/31 "2016-04-20T19:00:25Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Andrew Jackson is one this message board’s favorite historical villains. His demotion is entirely proper. I’m wondering about who his constituency is. [Lydia, the Tattooed Lady](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4zRe_wvJw8). (“…up the hill comes Andrew Jackson…”) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/32 "2016-04-20T19:07:34Z")
BTW if I understand correctly, estimated replacement date for general circulation is 2020 – plenty of time for an unsympathetic new administration or filibustering Senate faction to change things yet again, I’d fear… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/33 "2016-04-20T19:14:57Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > In general, I’m not keen about erasing historical figures from places of honor based on 21st century sensibilities. How about the sensibilities of their own time? I’m fairly certain that Andrew Jackson would not have wanted to be on paper money printed by a central bank, considering he opposed the [Second Bank of the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bank_of_the_United_States) and issued the [Specie Circular](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specie_Circular). So his fans (if he has any) as well as his foes should be happy with the move. [QUOTE=bobot] Oh boy, conservatives are not going to like this. [/QUOTE] Depends on how conservative; the gold-bug hyperlibertarians still agree with Jackson’s opposition to paper money and having a central bank. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/34 "2016-04-20T19:28:28Z")
Decent enough, keeping with my thoughts that the person on money should be [some badass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman#Journeys_and_methods) rather than someone who presided over economic expansion or some boring stuff :). And I like that she’s not too recent, much preferable to MLK (or JFK), who is kind of “default” in these situations. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > [Harriet Tubman will be face of the $20](http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/20/news/10-bill-hamilton-20-tubman/index.html) > > There had been an announcement that a woman was going to appear on some $10 bills along with Hamilton on others. Now it turns out that it will instead be Jackson being removed from the $20 bill. He will be replaced by Harriet Tubman. I think this is a better decision than having two different versions of the $10 bill. Jackson seems like a good choice for removal given his treatment of Native Americans. What do you all think? I think he was the best candidate for removal because he was the least important in our history no matter what negative things he did, compared to Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Hamilton, Grant\*, or Franklin. I suppose if Salmon P. Chase was still on a bill he’d be the best candidate. \*Maybe you could make the case for him though > [@Skammer](#): > > If I had to guess, I’d say that $20 bills are the most ubiquitous paper currency in the US after $1 bills due to the fact that they are dispensed in every ATM I’ve ever seen. I assume **Smapti** ’s comment was a joke about current debit/credit card popularity. I don’t know if this is still current, but $20 bills are the most popular in the US last I heard, but $100 are the [most popular bill overall due to overseas use](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/11/-100-bills-make-up-80-of-all-us-currency-but-why/265518/). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/35 "2016-04-20T19:40:36Z")
I’ve no objection to this. Jackson was not particularly praiseworthy, and Tubman was. Though I should point out that Jackson was relatively badass, as presidents go, if that’s our criterion (admittedly not as badass as TR, of course). ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/36 "2016-04-20T19:45:36Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > They wanted to put Rosa Parks on the back of the bill, but her picture refused to stay there. Stolen. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/37 "2016-04-20T19:46:35Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Oh boy, conservatives are not going to like this. I don’t know why, and I haven’t yet heard any complaining, but it’s got to be coming. They are replacing a Democrat with a Republican. What could they possibly object to? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/38 "2016-04-20T19:47:23Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Oh boy, conservatives are not going to like this. I don’t know why, and I haven’t yet heard any complaining, but it’s got to be coming. At least some of the more conservative sites seem ok with it. Sure, some think others would have been a better choice but so do many Dopers. No complaints that Tubman is not worthy. From Breitbart: [Harriet Tubman to Replace Andrew Jackson on $20 Bill](http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/04/20/harriet-tubman-replace-andrew-jackson-20-bill/) No real partisan lean to the report itself, just the headline embracing Tubman as a Republican. National Review Online: [Do Not Weep for Andrew Jackson](http://www.nationalreview.com/corner) > [@National review Online](#): > > As for Tubman, I would argue that she’s not the most influential woman in American history; that honor should rightly belong to Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the most important of all American novels. But Tubman herself is a worthy honoree, the first ordinary citizen on paper money and a woman of great courage and powerful Christian witness. … ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/39 "2016-04-20T19:49:12Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > There’s no reason we couldn’t have multiple circulating designs of a given denomination. That is, a consistent overall schema to readily distinguish denominations from one other, but with a handful of different figures individually represented at each. Those variations could be introduced one at a time, without pulling designs already circulating. Think of it as an ongoing national history lesson. So you think this situation will never happen: Little old lady receives new Tubman bill at the supermarket in change, not realizing it at the time. Later when she discovers it she goes to the police: “The supermarket gave me counterfeit money!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/40 "2016-04-20T19:51:26Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Oh boy, conservatives are not going to like this. I don’t know why, and I haven’t yet heard any complaining, but it’s got to be coming. The reaction I’ve seen has been favorable, especially since Tubman is often portrayed carrying a gun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739.md?page=3)