Harriet Tubman certainly earned her heroic status during the anti-slavery movement. This former slave rescued hundreds of other slaves and led them to freedom as “the most famous ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad.”
Harriet Tubman, circa 1900. Source: Getty
Today, Harriet Tubman accomplished another significant feat as the first African-American to appear on US currency. According to the Treasury Department, Harriet Tubman will be honored for “fighting for liberty” with a portrait on the front of the $20 bill.
Source: Getty
When it comes to dedication, Harriet Tubman described this notion best: “I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.”
In case you’re wondering, President Andrew Jackson will not vanish from the $20 bill. Instead, he will appear on the back with the White House image.
During the next 4 years, the $5, $10, and $20 bills will be tweaked to incorporate more security features as well as monumental moments in history. Here are some additional changes that have been announced:
- Opera singer Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert and Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech will be depicted on the back of the $5 bill.
- The women’s suffrage movement, which paved the way for women’s voting rights in 1920 (AKA the 19th amendment), will appear on the back of the $10 bill. Brave women including Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul will also be featured in the design.
What do you think about Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill?
