On Wednesday, April 20, Treasury secretary Jacob Lew announced that Harriet Tubman is to be the new face of the $20 bill replacing former President Andrew Jackson.
Tubman was an abolitionist who was born into slavery in 1822. Tubman escaped slavery and then helped liberate other slaves utilizing the Underground Railroad. During her life, Tubman saved about 70 African Americans from the hardship of slavery and gave them a chance at a free life.
“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,” Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew told Politico.
Former President Andrew Jackson will not be taken off the $20 dollar bill completely, instead he will be moved to the back next to a picture of the White house, NPR tweeted.
Currently there is no timetable on when the new bills will be released into circulation. Some have speculated though that the new $20 dollar bill may be released in 2020 to commemorate the one-hundreth year anniversary of the nineteenth Amendment’s ratification.
When asked about when the bill will be unveiled Lew said, “The two things most important are the security of our money and getting this process to move as quickly as possible,” according to Politico.
Along with changes to the $20 bill, the back of the $10 bill will be changed from a picture of the treasury building to leaders from the Suffrage movement, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul and Lucretia Mott, per the New York Times.
The NYT reported that $5 bills will also be getting backsides, featuring opera singer Marian Anderson, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
