Harriet Tubman is one of the most important women in the history of the United States of America. After being born into slavery, she made approximately thirteen missions to rescue over seventy slaves, becoming one of the nation's heroes. When Barack Obama introduced his intentions to have Tubman on the $20 bill, many people rejoiced. Andrew Jackson, who is currently on the $20 bill, was a slave owner himself and he went to great lengths to prevent Native Americans from frequenting his land. The Tubman $20 bill was supposed to be re-designed by 2020 but according to President Donald Trump and Steven Mnuchin, it just isn't a priority for right now.
People are outraged after it was announced that Harriet Tubman would be taking a backseat until at least 2026. Mnuchin, the treasury secretary, noted that Trump is more focused on other moves, foregoing the decision to feature a woman on an American banknote for the first time in 150 years.
"Right now, I am focused on the security features of the US currency," said Mnuchin during a congressional hearing on Wednesday. According to The Guardian, he added, "It’s not a decision that is likely to come until way past my term, even if I serve the second term for the president, so I am not focused on that at the moment."
Instead, the $10 and $50 bills will be redesigned to prevent the exchange of counterfeit currency. Understandably, people are not happy about the decision to delay Harriet Tubman's $20 bill. What do you think?