Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced Wednesday that a newly redesigned $10 bill will feature a woman replacing Alexander Hamilton. The U.S. Treasury Department said Lew will select a “notable” woman “with a focus on celebrating a champion for our inclusive democracy.” The new bill will rollout in 2020 marking the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
“America’s currency is a way for our nation to make a statement about who we are and what we stand for. Our paper bills—and the images of great American leaders and symbols they depict—have long been a way for us to honor our past and express our values,” said Secretary Jacob J. Lew. “We have only made changes to the faces on our currency a few times since bills were first put into circulation, and I’m proud that the new 10 will be the first bill in more than a century to feature the portrait of a woman.”
The Treasury Department is soliciting ideas from the public. Feedback can be given on social media using the hashtag #TheNew10 or by visiting thenew10.treasury.gov.
First, I’m obviously not against celebrating women’s suffrage or having a woman on our currency. I don’t understand, however, why you would remove Alexander Hamilton who wrote the Federalist Papers and was the brainchild behind our financial system. I never understood why President Andrew Jackson was on our $20 as he didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy compared to others who grace our currency.
Second, this isn’t particularly cutting edge. Countries in the British Commonwealth have had women on their currency for as long as they have had images of the reigning monarch on their bills. While we haven’t had a woman on our paper currency, Susan B. Anthony has been on an edition of our $1.00 coin (which I wish we’d stick with and get rid of the bills for the long-term savings involved, but I digress).
Third, I shudder to think what woman would be selected by Lew. I suggest Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but I’m afraid we’ll end up with somebody loved by liberals like Margaret Sanger. Be sure to make your voice heard. Who would you suggest?