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Treasury secretary Jack Lew announced Wednesday said that a woman would feature on the $10 bill instead of the first U.S. treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton.
The announcement was made shortly after a the results of a petition were give to President Obama requesting from him to feature abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill and remove Andrew Jackson from it.
America hasn’t seen the image of a woman on its currency for more than 150 years. In the late 1800s, George Washington’s wife, Martha, featured on a silver-dollar certificate. Moreover, the only male image requested by the law to appear on a bill is that of President Washington on the $1 note.
Harriet Tubman, the woman who fought for the abolition of slavery in North America and women’s right to vote, was elected by the public as the most representative female figure to feature on a U.S. note.
Nevertheless, the U.S. Treasury plans to consult the public again on what woman should feature on the $10 bill later this year.
Regardless of whom the winner is, the new bills are scheduled to be printed in 2020, when we celebrate the 100th anniversary of U.S. women’s right to vote. But officials said that Hamilton will continue to feature on the note, either by sharing the new design with a woman or by printing several versions of the same bill.
The first treasury secretary Lew said that America should continue to honor Hamilton for his contributions to democracy and “soundness of our currency.” Lew also described the new decision of Obama administration as “historic” since it defies the conservative views in the world of U.S. currency.
Currently, more than 1 billion $10 bills are printed each year, while the overall value of the U.S. currency in circulation worldwide is $1.3 trillion.
“With such a wide reach America’s currency makes a statement about who we are and what we stand for as a nation,”
added Lew.
He also deemed the Women on 20s campaign a “happy coincidence” because it does coincide with a recent decision of the U.S. Treasury to enhance the $10 note with additional security features.
The Treasury Secretary explained that the redesigned bills should feature a “champion for our inclusive democracy.” A phrase best suited to Tubman who risked her own life and liberty to smuggle slaves to the North during the civil war.
Other two women very popular among voters of Women on 20s campaign were Eleanor Roosevelt and Susan B Anthony, but the definite winner was Tubman with more than 600,000 votes.
Image Source: Pix11
