In a – maybe not – surprising turn of events on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department changed its tune about ousting Alexander Hamilton from the front of the $10 bill in favor of a woman, and instead will replace Andrew Jackson’s mug on the $20 bill with that of Harriet Tubman, though it will still be years before the new design is released.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced on Wednesday a set of changes to the currency that will see leaders of the suffrage movement on the back of the $10 with Hamilton on the front, and civil rights era leaders and other important historical moments on the back of the $5 bill, The New York Times reports.
Don’t expect to see Ms. Tubman’s face being dispensed at the ATM anytime in the immediate future. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing won’t be revealing the new design until 2020, meaning the bills won’t enter circulation until possibly years later. The 2020 date coincides with the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
The $10 bill will be the first to reach consumers. The Treasury had originally planned to put a famous female on that denomination, in part because of its place in the redesign schedule.
It was to be part of a broader currency redesign the government recommended in 2013 that will include tactile features for the blind and visually impaired.
The new bills will mark the first time in more than 100 years that a female face has appeared on paper currency in the U.S.: previously, Martha Washington and Pocahontas both appeared on bills in the 1800s, while Anthony and Sacagawea have been featured on the $1 coin in the past.
Harriet Tubman to Appear on $20 Bill, While ‘Hamilton’ Popularity Keeps Founding Father on $10 [The New York Times]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist