# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/61 "2016-04-20T22:20:59Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Other than that… well, as I said before, I’m just not a fan of currency changing at all. For me, the \*\*stability \*\*in form as well as function is a reassuring element of money. It’s meant to be boring, consistent and reliable. You start **adding holograms and color** and state mottos and you upset the whole balance of life. 🙂 Emphasis mine. These features are, in some considerable measure, actually designed to enhance the stability of the currency’s function by making it harder to counterfeit. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/62 "2016-04-20T23:03:10Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Emphasis mine. > > These features are, in some considerable measure, actually designed to enhance the stability of the currency’s function by making it harder to counterfeit. Yes, I know. Some changes I just have to live with for the sake of function, but even there my first thought is “How bad is the counterfeiting, really? Is color \*that \*important?” ---
**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, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/63 "2016-04-20T23:09:26Z")
Ben Carson thinks Harriet Tubman belongs [on a bill nobody uses](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/04/20/ben-carson-harriet-tubman-dollar-two-twenty/83301140/): > [@](#): > > “Well I think Andrew Jackson was a tremendous secretary. I mean a tremendous president,” Carson, a former GOP presidential candidate who now backs Donald Trump, said of the soon-to-be former face of the twenty. > > “Andrew Jackson was the last president who actually balanced the federal budget, where we had no national debt,” Carson said. “In honor of that, we kick him off of the money.” > > “Are you anti-Harriet Tubman?” Cavuto asked, presumably meaning anti-putting-Tubman-on-the-$20-bill and not anti-Tubman, just, in general. > > “No, I love Harriet Tubman,” said Carson. “I love what she did. But we can find another way to honor her. Maybe a $2 bill.” > > The $2 bill was last issued in 2003. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/64 "2016-04-20T23:35:36Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > $20 bills? Do people still use those? Singles for tipping the stage dancers, and twenties for lap dances. Or so I’m told. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/65 "2016-04-20T23:50:44Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > 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… Wait until President Trump puts his own face on the 20. And yes, I realize the precedent is to only print deceased persons on the currency, but that’s not a constitutional stipulation is it? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/66 "2016-04-20T23:50:55Z")
Jesus, the racist shit that comes out in cases like this is really disgusting. Not talking about here, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/67 "2016-04-21T00:13:11Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Wait until President Trump puts his own face on the 20. > > And yes, I realize the precedent is to only print deceased persons on the currency, but that’s not a constitutional stipulation is it? That would make him inferior to at least two other denominations. We can’t have that! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/68 "2016-04-21T00:25:28Z")
The $2 bill wasn’t last issued in 2003. $2 bills are still being printed today. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/69 "2016-04-21T00:27:10Z")
I last _saw_ one even earlier than 2003. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/70 "2016-04-21T00:33:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Jesus, the racist shit that comes out in cases like this is really disgusting Exactly. Has anyone been even remotely interested in what money looks like before this? They propose this, and all of a sudden everyone cares. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/71 "2016-04-21T01:21:01Z")
I’m not necessarily a fan of judging historical figures with the standards and mores of the present, but I can’t help but think there is a neat little bit of poetic justice going on here. Jackson, who owned slaves, is being unseated for an individual who did everything in her power to fight against slavery. Karma may not always be instant, but it generally catches up with you eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/72 "2016-04-21T01:39:48Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > I’m not necessarily a fan of judging historical figures with the standards and mores of the present, but I can’t help but think there is a neat little bit of poetic justice going on here. Jackson, who owned slaves, is being unseated for an individual who did everything in her power to fight against slavery. > > Karma may not always be instant, but it generally catches up with you eventually. Slaves and Indians are irrelevant - the most relevant fact about Jackson that makes his appearance on the currency problematic is that he absolutely hated the idea of a central bank, and fought hard against the idea of what is now essentially the Federal Reserve. So putting him on the notes in the first place was a bit ironic. ---
**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 21, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/73 "2016-04-21T02:36:02Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Slaves and Indians are irrelevant - the most relevant fact about Jackson that makes his appearance on the currency problematic is that he absolutely hated the idea of a central bank, and fought hard against the idea of what is now essentially the Federal Reserve. So putting him on the notes in the first place was a bit ironic. While the initial idea for the discussed changed involved removing the face _of the founder of the Treasury_ from the currency. [Other](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknotes_of_the_Canadian_dollar) serious [countries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknotes_of_the_pound_sterling#Historical_figures) change the faces and scenes on the paper currency with every generation. And yes the colors and even the materials (why do I get the feeling that if the US announced polymer dollar notes there would be a riot?). Here we add a mild teal and peach shading to the background on one side and people get all shook up. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/74 "2016-04-21T02:41:01Z")
I have a question: Why do the portraits on our bills show only the person’s last name, and not the first and last name? This might be a bit more relevant for Harriet Tubman, who is perhaps a bit less widely known than Washington, Lincoln, et al. The sample proposed bills I’ve seen pictured on-line show Harriet Tubman’s portrait with just the name Tubman. Maybe a lot of Americans won’t even know who that is. Why not put first and last names on all our bills? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/75 "2016-04-21T02:43:42Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Ben Carson thinks Harriet Tubman belongs [on a bill nobody uses](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/04/20/ben-carson-harriet-tubman-dollar-two-twenty/83301140/): Why does Ben Carson hate Thomas Jefferson? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/76 "2016-04-21T02:50:17Z")
When Michael Hillegas was on the $10 bill, it not only gave his first and last name, but [also said what he was](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Hillegas_%28Engraved_Portrait%29.jpg), presumably because nobody would have known otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/77 "2016-04-21T02:57:11Z")
I like that the reverse of the $10 bill is changing. The Treasury Building is nice and all, and it’s a National Historic Landmark, but…yawn. It’s not exactly an icon of the country. I guess it’s educational, in that nobody outside of Washington would know what it looked like if it wasn’t on the $10. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/78 "2016-04-21T03:02:50Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Dude had a fine head of hair, got to give him that. Indeed! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/79 "2016-04-21T03:08:37Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Jesus, the racist shit that comes out in cases like this is really disgusting. Not talking about here, obviously. Where are you seeing that? I’ve pretty much only seen people saying nice things about her. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739/80 "2016-04-21T03:24:41Z")
Tubman’s a great choice. But if Tubman’s on currency, we’ve got to put Dr. King on currency as well. Perhaps the $50? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harriet-tubman-to-replace-andrew-jackson-on-20-bill/752739.md?page=5)