The question isn’t whether to put a woman’s portrait on a $20 bill; the question is whose portrait shall represent us, not as women, but as Americans.
Although none presently adorn a bill, women have appeared on U.S. legal tender. Sacagawea dollars depict the American Indian teen who helped guide explorers Lewis and Clark. Alabama quarters feature Helen Keller. One can still find Susan B. Anthony dollars, although they haven’t been minted for years. Only collectors ever see Martha Washington’s portrait on $1 silver certificates or Daniel Webster $10 bills that include a scene with Pocahontas, since these bills have been out of circulation for well over a century.
Current bills feature five U.S. presidents and two founding fathers. Andrew Jackson, who is currently on the $20 bill, is the logical choice for replacement. Given his antipathy for paper currency, Jackson has probably been rolling in his grave since 1928, when his portrait replaced that of Grover Cleveland on the $20. The 4,000 Cherokees who died because of Jackson’s Indian Removal Act are surely rolling in their unmarked graves. Jackson’s time on the $20 should come to an end.
Several of the 15 women suggested by Women on 20s, the advocacy group backing the currency change, would be exceptional replacements. Abolitionist and former slave Sojourner Truth inspired crowds with her eloquence. Harriet Tubman, an Underground Railroad conductor, led 300 Americans out of Southern slavery to freedom in the north. She also served as a nurse in the Civil War. Fellow Civil War nurse Clara Barton went on to found the American Red Cross. Rosa Parks helped launch the civil rights movement with her brave decision to keep her seat on a segregated bus. Anthony and fellow suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton are also strong contenders for the $20.
Other Women on 20s candidates do not represent an inclusive vision of America. Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was a vocal advocate for eugenics and forced sterilization of the “unfit.” Betty Friedan, founder of the National Organization for Women, promoted a feminist ideal that marginalized women who chose to stay at home with children. Several highly partisan congresswomen are also listed.
Perhaps to keep the list short, Women on 20s omitted Sandra Day O’Connor, the first Supreme Court justice, and Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first congresswoman, as well as some less obvious candidates, such as abolitionists Sarah and Angelina Grimke and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Abigail Adams, Hannah More, and Francis Willard, who advocated for the well-being of women and men.
One unconventional choice worth considering is Madam C.J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire in the U.S. She was born shortly after the Civil War to former slaves who both died by the time she was 8 years old. Married at 14, a mom at 17 and a widow at 20, Walker worked as a laundress for 18 years before deciding to go into business for herself. She founded the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company to sell her unique beauty products for African-American women. Her entrepreneurship and philanthropy exemplify the American spirit.
Any of these women would be strong candidates for the $20 bill. They worked for the common good rather than a narrow, divisive agenda. Their lives illustrate the inclusive American ideal E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one — that appears on our Great Seal and much of our currency and coins.
Krista Kafer (tokrista@msn.com) is co-host of “Kelley and Company” from 1 to 4 p.m. on 710 KNUS.
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