U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced the decision on the plan to redesign the dollar bill unveiled last summer. The Treasury will feature a portrait of Harriet Tubman on the front of the $20, while Alexander Hamilton will stay on the $10 bill.
On Wednesday, the Treasury Secretary announced that they have decided to take another alternative, in which a portrait of a woman will be featured on a dollar bill, while keeping Hamilton on the $10 bill. Politico reports that Civil War-era abolitionist Harriet Tubman will be on the $20 bill, replacing former president Andrew Jackson. President Jackson will be on the back of the bill.
"Today, I'm excited to announce that for the first time in more than a century, the front of our currency will feature the portrait of a woman, Harriet Tubman, on the $20 note," Lew announced. "Her incredible story of courage and commitment to equality embody the ideals of democracy that our nation celebrates, and we'll continue to value her legacy by honoring her on our currency."
In addition to the change in the $20 bill, Lew also announced other changes in other bills. While the front of the $10 bill will still feature Hamilton, the back of the bill will honor the leaders of the women's suffrage movement, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul, as noted by USA TODAY.
According to CNBC, the new bills will be unveiled in 2020, in conjunction with the 19th Amendment's 100th anniversary. When the plan to redesign bill to feature a woman was first announced in June last year, it's revealed that the bill affected by the redesigning would be the $10 bill, which now features the portrait of one of the founding father, Alexander Hamilton.
However, the plan has been modified due to recent events. Some people carried out protest movements, demanding Hamilton to stay featured on the bill. Recently, a Broadway show, "Hamilton," caught a lot of attention, carrying a mission to keep the founding father on the front of the bill. The success of the show led Lew to reconsider other alternatives in featuring women without ousting the portrait of Hamilton on the $10 bill.
It has been decided by the Treasury that Harriet Tubman will be honored in the front of the $20 bill, replacing former president Andrew Jackson, which portrait will be moved to the back of the bill. Alexander Hamilton will still be featured on the $10 bill while the back of the $10 will honor women suffrage movement leaders.
