By law, no living person can be on a bill, and the secretary of the Treasury is given theauthorityover the design of bills, which includes the portrait. He dominated his times so thoroughly that they came to bear his name: the Age of Jackson, or the Jacksonian Era. Let the choosing begin! It is a continuing show of disrespect to keep Jackson on our currency when he so callously mistreated the Native population. We have been putting dead white statesmen on our coins for so long that its been unquestioned for some time now, says a Jackson scholar. Consequently, six years later, Spain agreed to sell Florida to the United States to end persistent conflicts with Gen. Jackson along the peninsulas northern border. From bad to worse: Student misbehavior rises further since return of in-person Saudi alfalfa sparks tension in Arizonas Sonoran Desert. After the war, Tubman became involved in the campaign for women's suffrage along withElizabeth Cady StantonandSusan B. Anthony, according to the National Parks Service. [White House brings back Andrew Jacksons Big Block of Cheese Day with virtual open house]. He shouldnt be on our currency., Those cries are increasing in number with the announcement that the next $10 bill will feature a woman. She also worked as, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved, no longer appear on the front of the $20 bill, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They view it as progress, as a necessary and long overdue disruption of the American Founding Fathers narrative. Why Andrew Jackson Should Not Be On the 20 Dollar Bill Andrew Jackson does not deserve to be on the 20 dollar bill. On the back of the U.S. 20-dollar bill is a picture of the White House, which is the residence and main office of the U.S. President. Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman is seen in a picture from the Library of Congress taken by photographer H.B. Tags: Andrew Jackson, money, history, President, Editorial Cartoons on the 2016 Presidential Elections. As president, Andrew Jackson refused to acknowledge paper money as a real form of currency, and instead favored gold and silver. All Rights Reserved. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. The Biden administration is moving forward with a plan to replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill with an image of Harriet Tubman. His 1829 inauguration was unprecedented: 10,000 people, mostly commoners, attended, many from the West and South. By replacing Andrew Jackson with a woman, it shows the progress the United States has made towards becoming a more civilized and equal nation. 4. He made Indian removal a leading priority, he pursued it relentlessly, and he took pride in its achievement. The Worth of Andrew Jackson President Jackson left a complicated legacy worth remembering, even if he does get booted off the $20. Why is that? Contributing:Miriam Fauzia,Nicholas Wu, Ledyard King, Deborah Barfield Berry,Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg, Tubman, again, headed to the front of the $20 bill, It looks like Harriet Tubman is once again headed to the front of the $20 bill. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The following are 7 reasons why Andrew Jackson should be removed from the 20 dollar bill, and replaced with a woman. By replacing Andrew Jackson with a woman, we send a strong message, far stronger than the one replacing Hamilton would send. The inquiry found no wrongdoing by Mr. Mnuchin. He felt that rotation of office, rather than permanent tenure, should be the principle in a democracy. If not for Jacksons precedent, the aristocratic William H. Seward may have become the Republican president in 1861, instead of Abraham Lincoln. It is not so today, Feller noted and for good reason. Manage Settings Fact check: Harriet Tubman helped free slaves for the underground railroad, but not 300. Other than being President of the United States, there are speculations that Andrew Jackson was featured on the 20-dollar bill because of his stand against paper money during his time. Howard J. Kittell, CEO of the Hermitage, a historical museum devoted to preserving and teaching Jackson's legacy, told The Post by phone that"it's a mystery to us as well." Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Jackson explained: It is easy to conceive that great evils might flow from such a concentration of power in the hands of a few men irresponsible to the people. Its important that our notes are money people dont know what a note is reflect the history and diversity of our country. Not even the treasury knows why he was chosen all those years ago to replace Cleveland. The possibilities are endless. On Monday, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said that the Treasury Department plans to speed up the process of adding Harriet Tubmans portrait to the front of the $20 bill. Sign up to keep reading and unlock hundreds of Nat Geo articles for free. Since it was privately owned, however, the government chose only five of its 25 directors and its stockholders selected the rest. Jackson got an upgrade to the $20, and Cleveland, who. ", "One thing that it can lead to is an understanding that some of these things are more complicated," Feller said. But he was put on the twenty-dollar bill for a reason, not just randomly. Updated: August 21, 2018 | Original: May 30, 2012. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/jackson-and-the-20-bill-video. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who like . There are two, large catches to their promise, the treasury is not planning to replace Jackson, but Hamilton, the face on the ten dollar bill. The choice of Jackson for that popular bill has long been a source of controversy particularly among the Native American tribes who were forced to relocate to Oklahoma and give their land to white Southerners under the Indian Removal Act. T he yearlong attempt by the U.S. Treasury Department to select a woman whose face will appear on future American banknotes came to a . Who will protect women from the courts and legislatures? Advertising Notice This stone has a mysterious past beyond British coronations, Ultimate Italy: 14 ways to see the country in a new light, 6 unforgettable Italy hotels, from Lake Como to Rome, A taste of Rioja, from crispy croquettas to piquillo peppers, Trek through this stunning European wilderness, Land of the lemurs: the race to save Madagascar's sacred forests. The Indian Removal Act he passed resulted in the Trail of Tears; a forced evacuation of the Cherokee people that led to the death over 5,000 of the tribes citizens. Jackson thought that the influence that banks and corporations wielded over government was dangerous and corrupting, a threat to liberty itself. She would later become known as the "Moses of her people.". Cookie Policy First, Jackson was the first commoner to become president after a string of six aristocrats in the White House. Anyone can read what you share. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. , Syed Hasan In 1928, most Americans wouldn't think about the Trail of Tears when they thought about Jackson. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons, government created the Federal Reserve System, Five Places Where You Can Still Find Gold in the United States, Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Otherand the Birds Loved It, Balto's DNA Provides a New Look at the Intrepid Sled Dog, The Science of California's 'Super Bloom,' Visible From Space, What We're Still Learning About Rosalind Franklins Unheralded Brilliance. Toward the end of the Obama administration, the Treasury Department recommended that President Andrew Jacksons portrait on the $20 bill be replaced with one of Harriet Tubman, a black leader in the Underground Railroad. President Jackson left a complicated legacy worth remembering, even if he does get booted off the$20. During a visitto Tennessee in 2017, Trump toured the Hermitage, laid a wreath at Jackson's tomb and called him the "people's president.". TheTreasury Department, which has the authority to determine who appears on what bills (so long as that individual is already dead),says on its Web site that its own historicalrecords "do not suggest" why certain presidents ended up on certain bills during a blitz of portrait selections in 1928. | READ MORE. The placement of Jackson on the $20 bill is considered ironic; as president, he vehemently opposed both the National Bank and use of paper money. Cookie Settings, National Museum of American History - Image by Godot13. No previous president had talked like that. Jackson's warning to the Carolina nullifiers of the dangers of political extremism makes riveting reading today. The new design wasinitially scheduled for 2020, but stalledunder PresidentTrump, who called the move "pure political correctness," and saidat the timethat Jackson "had a great history. HesuggestedTubmancould be put on the $2 bill instead. For his part, Feller is a "complete agnostic." They are apt to acquire a habit of looking with indifference upon the public interests.. This caused the Panic of 1837, a devastating depression in our nations history. The decision to use Tubman's likeness was initially made by the Obama administration in 2016, but had been delayed by former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin under President Trump. It's hard not to take it personally, as either a triumph or a desecration, depending on your point of view. Jay Inslee says he wont seek a fourth term, The Hills 12:30 Report Breaking down which Senate seats are most in flux, Montana legislator sues House speaker over censure, Mayor encouraging New Yorkers to put AirTags in carsto fight auto theft. Too often America attempts to atone for racism through style and symbol rather than substance. Instead, Jackson was more of a populist figure, seen as a "champion of the working class against the business community." Facebook privacy settlement: Who is eligible for a payment? Harriet Tubman will take Jacksons place on the bill. Secondly, he was a fierce defender of the federal Union against nullifiers and secessionists. Why Andrew Jackson Should Not Be On the 20 Dollar Bill Andrew Jackson does not deserve to be on the 20 dollar bill. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. In 1928, the green busts got reshuffled. Andrew Jackson has appeared on the $20 bill since the series of 1928. This article was published more than7 years ago. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Yet his presidential decisions destroyed or - in some cases - ended thousands of innocent. Thatsame year, bills were cut down in size to the size they are now:2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long. He also had disagreements with the Federal Reserve in terms of making paper money. And, in regard to the $20 bill, Andrew Jackson should go. Grants Failed Presidency (2019). | From the late 19th century through the 1960s, Feller said, Jackson was seen by most Americans as a "champion of the common man, a symbol of democracy," and "second only to Abraham Lincoln as the champion of the perpetual union" of the United States of America. With the Treasurys attention and the backing of millions, its time to reexamine Jacksons inclusion on our currency and make the case for an appropriate replacement. A Treasury spokeswoman said that she had no information to share on when a new design of the $20 bill might be released. So, does the "atrocious saint" still belong on the $20? And let's have fun doing it. No women or people of color have ever been pictured on a denomination of currency still in circulation, though $1 coins have previously been issued featuring Susan B. Anthony, a pioneer of the women's suffrage movement,and Sacagawea, theShoshone woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the Louisiana Territory. It depends. "It's all for the good. , Gene Balinggan, No Comment, April 3, 2023 The Department of the Treasury finally came out and said they planned to put a woman onthe $20 dollar bill, this idea gained nation attention. [T]he rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes., Fifth, Jackson presciently recognized the dangers of a deep state composed of perpetual officeholders. She gave instructions to 70 others who found their own way to freedom, wrote Kate Clifford Larson, author of"Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero,"in the Washington Post. To stabilize the system, the government created the Federal Reserve System and redesigned national currency. (Our Latina sisters often fare worse.). STDs are at a shocking high. , No Comment, July 30, 2022 Yet perhaps this dodges the issue. His passionate support of the measure that led to the Trail of Tearsand anti-Native American policiesis first among them. Does this language sound familiar? Andrew Jackson was responsible for the Indian Removal Act. In other words, Jackson himself would probably hate the fact that his face is on a paper bill, [New ranking of U.S. presidents puts Lincoln at No. 5 Reasons We Should Kick Andrew Jackson Off the $20 Bill Impact By Julie Zeilinger 6.19.2015 In March, 62-year-old Barbara Ortiz Howard launched the nonprofit organization Women on 20s, which. She escaped when she was around 27 years old, and shereturned to Maryland about 13 times to rescue as many as 70 enslaved people through the Underground Railroad, a network of escape routes and safe houses organized by Black and white abolitionists. In Arthur M. Schlesinger's New-Deal era biography of Jackson, Feller said, the Trail of Tears was barely mentioned. Would she consider it an honor to have her likeness plastered on American currency? , No Comment, July 26, 2022 Watch on. Before the Federal Reserve got authority to issue bills, bank notes were printed by the National Banking System, which was susceptible to bank runs and financial panics. But, he said: "I think the debate is healthy. Commentators like Slates Jillian Keenan have called for his removal from the $20, arguing that Andrew Jackson engineered a genocide. The message it would send by replacing Jackson with a woman like Harriet Tubman would be extremely powerful. Orphaned in youth, this son of poor. The security strip in a twenty-dollar bill glows green under a blacklight . Andrew Jackson hated paper money. He was also seen as a populist hero and champion of the working class for more than a century after he left office. The first stab at an impartial biography of the president makes that pretty clear. Every generation is entitled to decide its own priorities and honor its own heroes. There are more $20 bills in circulation than there are people on Earth, according to Federal Reserve data about 8.1 billionin all. Please rate this article: Similarities between fascism and communism, Similarities Between X Chromosome and Y Chromosome, Similarities Between Natural and Social Sciences, Similarities Between Catholic and Christian. Abolitionists were those who sought to abolish the institution of slavery, through petitions, boycotts, speeches, literature and someadvocated violent means. As Congress pivots to debt, it shouldnt forget the inflation connection, On capital gains taxes, Biden should look back at history, Supreme Court to consider overruling Chevron doctrine, Cardin wont seek reelection, opening up Maryland Senate seat, McConnell insists hes sitting out debt talks to disbelief, Tucker Carlson, on leaked video, derides Fox streaming service, Senate rankings: Here are the 5 seats most likely to flip. Jackson was a "patriot and a traitor," James Parton, the biographer of record for his time,famously wrotein 1888. Sometimes, popular history has a way of turning the dead into heroes or villains. 2 hours of sleep? TubmanwasbornAraminta "Minty" Ross in the early 1820s in Dorchester County, Maryland. Based on current designs, a statue of Jackson would remain on the back of the bill, while Harriet Tubman would grace the front. Magazines, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower. Trump's critics saw Mnuchins move as part of what they said was Trumps affinity towardAndrew Jackson. 1. President Barack Obama announced in 2016 that Tubman would appear on the $20 bill by 2020, but that move was delayed under President Donald Trump. InApril 2016, Obama announced that Tubman would be replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 and that Jackson would be moved into a scene of the White House on the reverse side. Should the Harriet Tubman $20 bill be delayed? Why is the Biden administration punishing financially responsible homeowners? 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Nearly 200 years after his death,Andrew Jackson is stepping away from the United States' cultural consciousness. Keeping a man who committed such a crime on our currency is inexcusable. Today, Indian removal so dominates our perception of Jackson that his responsibility for it is the only thing that many Americans know, or think they know, about him. But American money, and our national romance with it, is the root of so many of our national evils. All rights reserved. During the Confederacy, as each secessionist state printed its own money, images of enslaved people picking cotton and doing other forms of menial labor appeared on the currency in several states. Her work has appeared in publications like The Washington Post, TIME, mental_floss, Popular Science and JSTOR Daily. That was in 1914, and on those first Federal Reserve Notes, Jackson made his debut on the $10. As President Andrew Jackson wrote in his . This post initially went up last year. Indian removal is now usually told as a simple morality tale with Jackson as the villain. How this animal can survive is a mystery. Jackson isnow mostly remembered as an historical villaina slave owner whose major legislative accomplishment was the act that led to the Trail of Tears, in which thousands of Cherokee were forced from their land. The currency process, explained: Should the Harriet Tubman $20 bill be delayed? Jackson restored Americas confidence that our country was not merely a temporary experiment in democracy. He announced himself as tribune of the plain people, champion of "the humble members of society the farmers, mechanics, and laborers" against the moneyed elites. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. To save chestnut trees, we may have to play God, Why you should add native plants to your garden, What you can do right now to advocate for the planet, Why poison ivy is an unlikely climate change winner. To the editor: President Trump made the absolute correct decision to keep Andrew Jackson on our $20 bill. Mr. Trump professed to be a fan of Andrew Jackson, a fellow populist, and was a fierce opponent of altering historical images and statues. We don't honor people on the currency just because they're important. 1. The Palmetto State accepted the compromise in 1833. ", Here's the new plan for the $20, $10 and $5 bills (Video: Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post), Reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House. CNNs Wallace spars with Sanders after slamming companies, Giant seaweed blooms beaching begins, expected to worsen, Lightfoot sends letter to Abbott urging him not to send any more migrants. Help us improve. Continue with Recommended Cookies, July 21, 2012 How do you market an icon? When the Cherokee tribe was being threatened by the state of George to leave their land, they sued the state in the supreme court case of Worcester v Georgia. Although Jackson was considered a popular figure during his time as President of the United States, he was also involved with many unpopular activities at the time. News of the delay sparked the release of a debit card that bears her image and drew attention to anink stamp thatreplaced Andrew Jackson's face on a $20 bill with Tubman's likeness. If that principle is worth upholding, Andrew Jackson is worth remembering. , Gene Balinggan, No Comment. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital She died there in 1913 and was buried with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery. In fact, Feller notes: "Abraham loved to quote [Jackson]" during the Civil War, because of "Jackson's striking proclamation against nullification" of the Union. He will share the bill with a woman, meaning that in reality, a woman will not have a bill all to herself. When held to light, a portrait watermark of President Jackson is visible from both sides of the note.The note includes a color-shifting numeral 20 in the lower right corner of the note. First, Jackson was the first man of humble origins to rise to the presidency, becoming a great war hero along the way. Jackson's legacy can and should contain that. Reporter: The Obama administration initially had wanted to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, and the Trump administration dragged their feet on that. For years, critics have called for Jackson to be removed from the $20 bill because of his legacy of supporting the institution of slavery and hisrole in the forced, violent transfer of tens of thousands of Native Americans from the Southon what became known as the Trail of Tears. n angry insurrectionist white mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, never previously entered the U.S. Capitol, Nearly a quarter of Black women live in poverty, Or create a free account to access more articles, Putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill Is Not a Sign of Progress. And the touchstone statement of his presidency, his 1832 veto of the Bank of the United States, may likewise still speak to us. Still, those other Jacksons may be worth recalling as well. As president, Seward might have abandoned Fort Sumter, an idea for which he unsuccessfully advocated as Lincolns secretary of State. That forced migration during Jackson's presidency is known as the Trail of Tears. The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes. That said, Jackson never had a perfect reputation. After she escaped, Tubman walked the nearly 90miles to Philadelphia, where she took jobs as a domestic and cook and spentsummers working in Cape May, New Jersey. , GEORGINA NDERITU But in 1928, Wall Street criticslike Warren would have had Jacksonian written all over them. There's also Jackson's opposition to paper money in the first place (he preferred gold and silver), and his long, ultimately triumphant fight in the Bank Wars during his presidency. As president, Andrew Jackson refused to acknowledge paper money as a real form of currency, and instead favored gold and silver. Andrew Jackson has been the face of the $20 bill since 1928. The history of book bansand their changing targetsin the U.S. Should you get tested for a BRCA gene mutation? There are, he said, few men who can for any great length of time enjoy office and power without being under the influence of feelings unfavorable to the faithful discharge of their public duties. And it was very exciting and hasnt moved forward yet, which we would have been surprised to learn at the time. Andrew Jackson literally committed a genocide. How do we reverse the trend? A young New York senator, Martin. The head of the Cherokee Nation believes Andrew Jackson's portrait should be stripped from the $20 bill and replaced by the late tribal leader Wilma Mankiller justice, he says, for the former president's transgressions against Native Americans. This is, in truth, not the first push to get Jackson off the currency. She was a great emancipator, freeing herself and hundreds of others and helping to bring the Union forces to victory working as spy in South Carolina during the Civil War. You have reached your limit of free articles. 1, Obama at 18; Kennedy judged most overrated]. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Because, really, fellow citizens, we have better things to argue about than this. Americans recalled him mainly for two things. Back then, Andrew Jackson wanted to continue using gold coins instead of paper-based money. Privacy Statement All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States of America, has rested comfortably on the twenty dollar bill ever since his face was chosen to replace Grover Cleveland in 1928. Jackson proclaimed that wealth should not rule numbers, that in a democracy every citizen, regardless of circumstance, should have an equal say in government. President Bidens Treasury Department is studying ways to speed up the process of adding Harriet Tubmans portrait to the front of the $20 bill after the Trump administration allowed the Obama-era initiative to lapse, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Monday. So were exploring ways to speed up that effort. From 2019: Treasury watchdog to review delay of Harriet Tubman $20 bill design. Why not put Niagara Falls, or the Statue of Liberty, or the Grand Canyon on our bills? Andrew Jackson dismantled the Second Bank of the United States, meaning his stance on economics wasnt exactly sound. "It's actually astonishing how completely the generalized public image has changed and how rapidly it changed," the historian said of Jackson's legacy. Neither Harriet Tubman nor any of the other proposed replacements can claim anything near that prominence. Arthur Schlesinger Jr.'s magisterial "The Age of Jackson," published in 1945, contained a single fleeting reference to the subject in 523 pages of text. To be placed on an America bill is a great honor, one to be bestowed on those who changed our nation for the better. She purchased a home in Auburn, New York, in 1859 and established a home for the elderly. We also askedDaniel Feller, a University of Tennessee history professor who edited "The Papers of Andrew Jackson." We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Andrew Jackson was not only a slave owner but an advocate for the expansion of slavery to the western United States. Axolotls and capybaras are TikTok famousis that a problem? Jackson's place of honorbecame a big topic once again this week aftera nonprofit groupcalled Women on 20's suggested that it was time to retire the Jackson $20 and replace it with a bill featuring one of several prominent women from American history.