On Wednesday, April 20th, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced the alterations that will be made to the twenty, ten, and five dollar bills. The biggest change will be the new face on the twenty dollar bill, which will feature Harriet Tubman. Well known for her valiant sacrifices during the 1850’s, Tubman liberated thousands of slaves through the Underground Railroad.

Many feel she is one of the most heroic figures in history. History teacher Mr. David Garrison says, “Changing the face of the bill helps with issue of counterfeiting bills, so it will be beneficial. It is also good that they have a woman representing the country.” In contrast, Andrew Jackson, the current face of the twenty dollar bill, is mostly known for his presidential policies that led to the deaths of countless Native Americans and ruined the U.S. banking system. The U.S. Treasury has featured Jackson’s face on the bill since 1928, but will place him on the back of the twenty next to the White House on the new bill. Midlo student Grace Fitzwater explains that she does not like the idea of putting both historic figures on the bill because “Harriet Tubman won’t be getting full credit for her noble achievements.”

In addition, the five dollar bill will still feature Abraham Lincoln on the front, but the back will honor Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, and Marian Anderson, a black opera singer who performed at the grand opening of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. Similar to the five dollar bill, the ten dollar bill will keep the portrait of Alexander Hamilton, but there will be a significant change to the back, which will depict 1913 March for Women’s Suffrage, featuring three of the most heroic leaders involved: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth. Junior Lilly Cox stated, “I am a young woman who fully supports women’s rights, and having those women represented on the bill is a cool idea, but it doesn’t make sense to change it because it seems like more trouble to change it than to just leave it.”

Although the Treasury has big plans for redesigning the currency they have not set an exact date for the unveiling but have high hopes to have them circulating by 2020, the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Well loved substitute and Midlo retiree Mrs. Sue Schley says, “History is history, and it’s always changing. It’s about time there is a woman on our dollar bills because a woman’s representation should always be equal to a man’s.”