Boring Founding Father Finally Kicked Off $20 Bill by Harriet Tubman
If you ask most people who Andrew Jackson is, they’ll probably vacillate between “a founding father” and “a founding member of the Jackson 5.” No offense, Andy, but you’re boring af — and also kind of a dick.
So it gave us great joy to read in the New York Times today that the heroic Harriet Tubman is most likely going to take his place on the $20 bill.
This victory is especially sweet because Andrew Jackson wasn’t just another overprivileged rich white dude who got to become president pretty much just by showing up — he also owned slaves, fought to keep slavery intact, and enacted laws that contributed to genocide against Native Americans, according to Mic.
So it’s especially sweet that he’s being stripped of his place on our money by a woman of color. Now that he’s not going to be on the $20, he’ll be in his rightful place among the Martin Van Burens (WHO?!) of the world.
Some people are taking issue with the announcement, saying it’s ironic to have the face of someone who railed against capitalism stamped on our cash. And yeah, that’s true. But Andrew Jackson actually opposed paper currency and was still on the $20, so clearly when it comes to who we put on our money, it’s best not to get bogged down in the details.
Sadly, we won’t see the designs for the new money until 2020, the Times says, but the good news is Harriet Tubman isn’t the only new addition. Other Civil Rights figures will also be added to our money, although their names haven’t been made public yet.
This is not just a symbolic victory for women and people of color — it’ll make kids growing up today understand that you don’t have to be a white man to attain the level of prestige it takes to have your face stamped on money. We’ll take Eleanor Roosevelt and Oprah next, please.
Now let’s watch Drunk History’s Harriet Tubman episode.
