Official: Hamilton to Remain on $10 Bill; Harriet Tubman to Replace Jackson on $20

In addition to thanking Lin-Manuel Miranda for giving us Broadway's smash hit HAMILTON, Americans should be grateful that he has also sparked a lively debate over which historical figures from U.S. history deserve their face on our official currency.

According to Deadline, the U.S. Treasury will announce this afternoon that Alexander Hamilton will remain on the $10 bill despite an earlier plan to replace him. In addition, Andrew Jackson, a known slave owner and slaughterer of Native Americans, will be replaced on the $20 bill by Harriet Tubman, creator of the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD that helped slaves find their way to freedom in the north.

In addition, new currency designs will now feature more women as well as civil rights leaders. The designs will be announced to coincide with the 2020 centennial of woman's suffrage and the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The new bills will not be in circulation until next decade.

In an interview with CNN over the weekend, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew shared, "In our pantheon of founders, Hamilton has a special place," explained Lew. "Our economy, many of the institutions of our democracy, are really attributable to his contributions. He will continue to be represented on our currency, he will continue to be represented on the $10 bill."

Photo: Joan Marcus

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