North Texas Daily

The Editorial Board

The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that Harriet Tubman will be the new face of the $20 bill — the first black person to ever be present on American currency and the first woman in over a century.

The plan originally formed around updating the $10 bill, removing Alexander Hamilton with someone more modern and relatable. While there is no official comment on such, it could be well-argued that the popularity of the (mostly fictitious) musical “Hamilton” led to the conversation shifting up towards another legend of old America: Andrew Jackson.

A controversial figure in his own right, Old Hickory was a military hero, renown for his victory at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, as well as his love of cheese, made famous by frequent references throughout the hit television series “The West Wing.”

Despite this, Jackson was and remains a controversial figure in American history — his legacy is often associated with the “Trail of Tears,” as are many of his positions on slave ownership and African-Americans in general. Also, be sure to remember that despite what you might read on angry Facebook rants, he was decidedly not a Founding Father of the United States. In fact, he hadn’t even hit puberty by the time the American Revolution began.

Jackson will remain a figure in American history whether we like it or not, and is merely moving to the back of the $20 bill rather than being removed entirely. It is our position at the North Texas Daily that Harriet Tubman, in addition to being a beacon of hope in a bygone era of skewed ideals, is unequivocally the right choice for such a distinction.

Without even examining the impact of Tubman’s life on the discourse of race relations for the past 150 years, a simple glance abroad could also tell us this is not only bold and progressive, but the correct move. The American dollar is representative of money the world over — even in countries operating with a separate form of currency. Changing the face of one of the most frequently circulated and widely recognized bills in the world is, even if subliminally, broadcasting a message to the world that despite our imperfections the United States is making attempts to grow from within. It is a display of progress and dedication to the work yet to be done.

The move will take a few years to be implemented— a design is yet to be chosen and won’t be announced until 2020, the mint it will be printed at needs to make the proper adjustments, and distribution considered. In the mean time, let’s appreciate the change, because it’s a great one.