Harriet Tubman Image To Replace Andrew Jackson On $20
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS NEWS) – Former president Andrew Jackson's portrait is coming off the $20 bill, the U.S. Treasury has decided.
CBS News is reporting that Jackson will be replaced on the currency by Harriet Tubman, the African-American abolitionist who escaped slavery and became a famous "conductor" on the underground railroad.
The Treasury Department had originally planned to add a female face to the $10 bill, but many objected to replacing Alexander Hamilton following the smashing success of the Broadway musical named after him.
A 9-year-old from Massachusetts was one of the driving forces behind the push to put a woman on money. Sofia, a fourth grader, wrote to President Barack Obama with her suggestions of women to replace Jackson, and he told her in response that it was a "good idea."
The only other time a woman appeared on paper currency was in the 1880s and 90s when the portrait of Martha Washington graced the $1 Silver Certificate.
The $10 bill is the next note scheduled to be redesigned to introduce updated protections against counterfeiting. That redesign was scheduled to be unveiled in 2020, which marks the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote.
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