You Go, Girl$!
Take a look at this list of famous (and not-so-famous) Americans, and tell me what they have in common (in historical chronological order): Pocahontas, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, Stephen Decatur, Andrew Jackson, James Garfield, Hugh McCulloch, Daniel Manning and Grover Cleveland.
Give up? Discounting the allegorical figures of “Goddess Victory” and “Lady Liberty,” Pocahontas is the only actual woman to be honored, as these men listed were also honored, by a portrait on a $20 note of US currency. Actually, the 1840 painting of her baptism, with her future husband looking on, was featured on the 1865 bill, so it was more a triumph of white Christian paternalism over “red” “heathen” womanhood, rather than a celebration of her life.
Pocahontas gets “white-washed” – click to bigify
The Moses of her People, Harriet Tubman: Slave, Scout, Spy, Badass
Andrew Jackson on the front, with the White House on the back, has been the design of the $20 bill since the 1920s.
But now, thanks to the miracle of modern historical research, combined with a surprising resurgence of popularity for Alexander Hamilton on the $10 (thanks to a popular and ungodly-expensive-to-get-into Broadway musical), further combined with a healthy dose of “it’s about freakin’ time!” Harriet Tubman is going to replace the misogynistic, racist, genocidal, cranky, touchy, feudy 7th President as the note of choice in every ATM in America.
I think they ought to use this picture.
I like the photo!
1Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill’s got something for everyone. Minorities, women, 2nd Amendment rights advocates, and she was born in a Union state (Maryland) that allowed slavery.
Jackson should have never been on any currency or coin. He was a racist. He practiced/participated in genocide against the Creek and Cherokee people and their cultures in the South. A very good recent history of the crimes against those tribes is “Jacksonland,” by Steve Inskeep. Get it. Hard cover or on a kindle.
Tubman is a fitting figure to replace Jackson. I hope the treasury does not alter her clothing choices.
2Oh my stars and bars! A black lady WITH A GUN?!? Whatever is the world coming to?? And yeah, Harriet WAS badass, more courage in one determined lady than most people have ever seen!
3Woo hoo!
4Hope I am still alive in 2030.
My vote went to Frances Perkins, but Tubman will have more universal appeal with somewhat less controversy.
5Wingnuts are losing their collective minds over this. Breitbart smf Freepers are toxic right now.
6And Rthugs heads explode in 3…2….1…
7I adore Harriet Tubman! I’m so glad they picked her! She had an amazing life. I like the picture, too.
8Most ironic since the $20 is called a “yuppie food stamp” among the affluents …I love the choice. I rejoice. People were pushing for a female on the bill, this does it plus much more!
9@Dave,
Yeah, the RWNJ’s are having a Chernobyl-Fukushima class nukalar meltdown over this issue.
Couldn’t happen to a more repulsive bunch of cretins. Some data on the number of them, the older teabaggers, that MI and stroke into oblivion would be nice. I’ve seen so many go into a drooling, artery&vein popping paroxysm of rage over stuff like this, it’s got to take a toll.
I think Obama is starting to flex all those ‘hidden levers of power’ that he should have long ago. Better late than never, feed them a steady diet of figurative ‘birds’ like this…
10Aggieland Liz, I have not seen or heard “oh, my stars and bars” for years. I may have to borrow. They only use head shots on all of the rest of the paper money. She is the only one I would accept with a gun in her hand.
11I saw on TV that it will be out in 2020 … is fitting for a $20 bill and, yes, the RWNJs are having apoplexy over this choice! LOL LOL LOL
12I love it! I’m so glad they went for the $20, rather than the $10. Harriet Tubman is one of The Greatest Americans. Woo-hoo!
13‘Bout freaking’ time!
14Harriet on the front of the bill, but Andy’s going to be on the back.
15I was hoping for Wilma Mankiller who was also on the list. The delicious hubris of a Cherokee chief replacing Jackson was just gigglesome.
Tubman is good though.
16Kate Dungan: How Tubman front and Mankiller back? Works for me.
17Lorena Bobbitt?
18piaqt … awesome suggestion, the Mankiller back!
19YESSSS!
Heads are ‘sploding:
http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/2016/04/20/harriet-tubman-20-bill-not-going-over-well-with-trump-fans-other-garbage-humans/
Though if you want the direct link to Drunk History’s Harriet Tubman Bio:
https://youtu.be/VpTf1GFjCd8
The worst part of the commments IMHO: She was a *thief*…
20This means that above all else we have to make sure that the WH and the Congress are kept copacetic to this idea for four more years so the rethugs cannot screw it all up! And no, they cannot take this to the SCOTUS. They don’t have “standing” as they will not be injured by the change. But do prepare for a lot of boo-hoo-ing from that quarter!
21Love the redoing of the currency and Tubman on the front is genius. I’m sorry they’re moving Jackson to the back. He needs to be gone from all currency. Anything that makes the TParty and Repugs crazy is automatically worthy in my book.
22Wingnuts are loving this selection,too. Replace a Democrat icon with a gun-toting Republican.
23Evidently The Stump and Car-yawn-son are both up in arms about Ms. Tubman being put on the $20 bill.
Andy Jackson should be removed to a roll of that toilet paper that looks like money … that would seem appropriate!!
24“touchy feudy”
That is priceless, and I’m stealing it!
25