U.S. Treasury Announces That A Woman Will Appear On Redesigned $10 Bill in 2020.

United States 10 Dollar Bill


The U.S. Treasury recently announced that, in 2020, it will unveil a redesigned $10 bill, featuring a woman, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote.

The announcement comes after an unofficial poll, conducted by the group Women on 20s, selected Harriet Tubman to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. The group also sent a message to President Obama hoping to reach Jack Lew, the current Secretary of the Treasury, who has the power to make the change.

Despite the popular vote, Tubman would definitely make an odd choice in 2020 given the fact that black women were shut out of the women’s suffrage movement and did not enjoy the same rights as white women. In many parts of the country, black women were not able to exercise their right to vote without being jailed, or worse, until the 1960’s.

Additionally, Women on 20s pushed to replace Andrew Jackson as opposed to Alexander Hamilton due to Jackson’s authorizing of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The act brutally forced Native Americans to give up their land to white farmers and move to what is now Oklahoma.

Despite this discrepancy, it looks plans for the 2020 celebration are already underway. According to the Washington Post,

The Treasury Department is launching a massive public campaign to solicit suggestions through social media and town halls for what the bill should look like and who should be on it. The only requirements for candidacy are that the woman be deceased and embody the theme of the bill’s new look: “Democracy.”

But, Hamilton won’t be completely taken off of the $10 note. According to the Treasury Department, “While the design process is complex and much work remains to be done, Secretary Lew has made clear that the image of Alexander Hamilton will remain part of the $10 note.”

There’s no word yet on which notable women are in the running to be the new face of the $10 bill, but the Treasury states that it plans to engage the public as part of the decision-making process.

“Various Treasury officials will be conducting roundtables, town halls, and other meetings to collect input. We will also be reviewing all the comments coming in to the splash page and all content tagged with our “TheNew10” hashtag. Treasury staff will review all input received and provide information to Secretary Lew over the course of the discussion.

While the Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for final decision on all design features, he will receive regular updates on the public feedback as he considers new design aspects and the portrait selection for the $10 note.”