This episode considers the 2016 proposal to place the likeness of Harriet Tubman on the U.S. $20 bill. The first use of paper money dates back to 1000 CE and has been cited as the first instance of widespread access to printed images. Money is an invented concept, it has value because societies collectively agree that it does, but historically images, symbols, and seals have been used to help authenticate money within the culture that it serves. Images of gods, monarchs and historical figures imbue the money with the magic of the gods or the authority of the government to assert its value. The US has a long history of printed money, dating back even before gaining independence. The images that a culture uses to assert the value of the country reflects what that country values. why then does the US continue to feature former presidents, and slave owners, white men of privilege, versus women and minorities? Harriet Tubman was a true hero in this country, who worked under the auspices of the underground railroad, and not only gained her own freedom, but also helped to free over 300 enslaved persons in her lifetime. In 2016, the proposal was made to put her image on the $20 bill. Making a change to the design of the US $20 bill, replacing Andrew Jackson’s likeness with that of Harriet Tubman would not right the wrongs of the past, but it would be a step towards honoring the contributions of Black women in this country, as well as a step forward in c_orrecting the absence of positive representations._

TIMELINE

440 BC – The Greeks first use coin money, adopted the practice from the Lydians

1000 – The first paper money was issued in China

1690 – the first paper money was printed in the U.S. by the Massachusetts Bay colony, though U.S.A. is not yet a country

1775 – Second Continental Congress issues paper money to help fund the American Revolution

1821 – Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation

1844 – Harriet Tubman’s forced marriage to John Tubman

1831 – First recorded use of the phrase Underground Railroad

1913 – Harriet Tubman dies, buried in Auburn, New York with military honors

2016 – Proposal to replace Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the U.S. $20 bill, placed on hold during Trump presidency 

2021– President Biden announces plans to revisit Harriet Tubman $20 bill

2022 – plans are made to strike quarters  with historical female figures from U.S. History

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