User:GraceUOW/Harriet Tubman wins poll for first woman on $20 bill
{{tasks|news|re-review}}{{date|May 13, 2015}}
Reports have surfaced overnight (Tuesday 12, 2015) in the U.S., that Harriet Tubman was announced as the winner of the "Women on 20s" online poll with over 33% of the vote, outranking the polls runner-up, Eleanor Roosevelt, by 7,000 votes.
The poll was introduced as part of the viral Women on 20s campaign, which seeks to gain more recognition for significant women in American history by having their faces printed on money. The campaign has since gained support by a Congressman in Illinois who petitioned the US Senate to introduce a bill that would see a woman’s portrait replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
Democrat representative, Luis Gutiérrez, proposed the “Put a Woman on the Twenty Act” which would move the Treasury Secretary to conduct a special commission asking the American public to suggest a replacement for the face of former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 note.
In an article for Time (magazine), Gutiérrez stated, “If this is a country that truly believes in equality… it is time to put our money where our mouths are, literally, and express that sense of justice and fairness on the most widely used bill in circulation.”
The Washington Post reports that more than 600,000 people voted in the final round of the Women on 20s online poll. Voters were asked to choose between four women: Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and Wilma Mankiller.
Tubman is most well known as an escaped slave and abolitionist who served as a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, as well as conducting the Underground Railroad, which assisted other slaves in getting to safety.
In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for the Treasury said, “There are a number of interesting currency ideas, but we do not have any comment on the specific campaign.”
Campaigners hope to have Tubman’s face replace that of Jackson in time to celebrate 100 years of Women's suffrage in the United States in 2020.
Sources[edit]
- Hallie Jackson. "Will Harriet Tubman Be the First Woman on the $20 Bill?" — NBC News, May 13, 2015
- Charlotte Alter. "Harriet Tubman Wins Poll for Woman on $20 Bill" — TIME, May 13, 2015
- Abby Ohlheiser. "Harriet Tubman is your potential replacement for Jackson on the $20" — Washington Post, May 12, 2015
- Noah Rayman. "Congressman Proposes Putting a Woman’s Face on the $20 Bill" — TIME, April 21, 2015
External links[edit]
- Women on 20s online poll
[[category:Politics and conflicts]] [[category:United States]] [[category:North America]] [[category:Economy and business]] [[category:Feminism]]