Woman to replace Alexander Hamilton on $10 bill

[Flagg]

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/17/news/ec ... llar-bill/

Move over Alexander Hamilton. You're getting company on the $10 bill and her name is ...

On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said a woman will be featured on a redesigned $10 bill in 2020 -- the 100th anniversary of the Constitution's 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

A decision on who the woman will be won't be made for several months.

The last woman on U.S. paper currency was Martha Washington, who was on the $1 Silver Certificate between 1891 and 1896.

"We have only made changes to the faces on our currency a few times since bills were first put into circulation, and I'm proud that the new 10 will be the first bill in more than a century to feature the portrait of a woman," Lew said.

Related: Evolution of the 10 dollar bill

Lew, who will make the final decision on who will grace the currency, is asking the public for help.

The department will launch a website, and is asking for input over social media with the hashtag #TheNew10.

What's his criteria? Lew wants the next generation of U.S. currency to underscore the theme of American democracy. The portrait must also -- by law -- be of someone who is no longer living.

Hamilton, who was the nation's first treasury secretary, has been on the $10 bill since 1929. He replaced Andrew Jackson, who was the seventh president.

Jackson moved to the $20 bill, where he remains today.

The $20 was at the center of a recent campaign to put a woman on U.S. currency. But Treasury had already pegged the $10 as the next one to be updated.

Related: Lawmakers want a woman on the $20

Bills are flagged for updates mainly for security reasons, Lew said. It was a "happy coincidence" that a push to put a woman on American money happened as the $10 note came under consideration.

Lew said Hamilton will also be a part of the new design. He said it's up for discussion whether Hamilton will appear alongside a woman or be the centerpiece of one version of the new bill.

Either way, the Hamilton $10 isn't going anywhere soon, since there are about 1.9 billion $10s in circulation today.

In another first for American greenbacks, the new $10 bill will include a "tactile feature" to allow blind people to distinguish it from other denominations.

-- We want to know who you think belongs on the new $10 bill. Hashtag #CNN10s on social media to weigh in.

About damn time. Would have preferred she replace Jackson instead of Hamilton...but this is still good news.

$10 says it's Betsy Ross sewing a flag.

[Borgholio]

Oh I hope not. What did she actually accomplish aside from being the most famous seamstress in the country?

[Darmalus]

I imagine a major stumbling block is picking someone that will actually be recognized or remembered by most people. Presidents or founding fathers are easy, since wars and shit tend to be exciting and memorable. I imagine the Treasury would like to avoid several decades of "Who's that? Never heard of them."

[madd0ct0r]

I imagine after the first decade on the bill most people will have learnt it.

[Simon_Jester]

Relatively few Americans have heard of Hamilton, either- or, for that matter, Jackson.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Relatively few Americans have heard of Hamilton, either- or, for that matter, Jackson.

This. I have heard college-educated individuals unironically refer to President Hamilton. Most people have no idea who he was or why he was important. Similarly for Jackson and Grant.

[Thanas]

I'm hoping it is Eleanor Roosevelt or Harriet Tubman.

[Simon_Jester]

I still want it to be Frances Perkins; she'd be the closest to a one-for-one replacement of Hamilton: a cabinet-level official who played a significant role in creating the 20th century economic order, to replace a cabinet-level official who played a significant role in creating the 19th century economic order.

[Borgholio]

Since they're also making the new $10 the first bill with braille on it, why not a picture of Helen Keller?

[Thanas]

I would think putting somebody like Eleanor Roosevelt, the brain behind the UN, or Harriet Tubman, a clear symbol against racism, would do more.

Of course, in a perfect world Jackson would get replaced, but hey.

[Borgholio]

I would think putting somebody like Eleanor Roosevelt, the brain behind the UN, or Harriet Tubman, a clear symbol against racism, would do more.

I'm sorry to have to admit that aside from those two and a few others, I am not aware of too many other women who made lasting contributions to American history.

Of course, in a perfect world Jackson would get replaced, but hey.

Really makes me wonder why they chose Hamilton instead.

[Elheru Aran]

Hmmm... first $10 in 1861 had Lincoln, but we've got him on the five. Salmon P. Chase... who the hell is that? I mean, I know who he was (some Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State or something) but not a common figure. Pocahontas. Franklin-- OK, we know who that is, but he's on the 100. Robert Morris... who? Thomas A. Hendricks... fucking what. Philip Sheridan-- OK, I know who that is, but a.) bad taste and b.) not that many people would know either. Lewis and Clark-- OK, sure. Everybody reads something about them in the history books in third grade. Lewis and Clark crossed the US way back in the day. Michael Hillegas? Hmmm, Jackson was on it, last guy before Hamilton in the early 20th.

So... yeah... gentlemen's club much?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_St ... ollar_bill

[Channel72]

Relatively few Americans have heard of Hamilton, either- or, for that matter, Jackson.

This. I have heard college-educated individuals unironically refer to President Hamilton. Most people have no idea who he was or why he was important. Similarly for Jackson and Grant.

In general, there's sort of a correlation between the higher bill amounts and the obscurity of the figure. Except for Franklin on the $100. But I think Hamilton is a bit more obscure than Grant and Jackson. Most people likely remember Grant as the Civil War General, or at least as something vaguely related to the civil war, and I think most people are probably at least familiar with the name Andrew Jackson - as some President or other. But Hamilton is pretty obscure to the general public. (Also, why is James Madison not on any currency? Not like we need him or anything - but why Hamilton over Madison? And why does Washington get to be on both the dollar and the quarter?)

Of course, Hamilton will still remain on the $1,000 dollar bill.

[Flagg]

The fact that we have no African American portraits on any currency (ever, to my knowledge, but we don't currently), I'd go with Tubman, as it kills 2 birds with one stone. Hell, I'd love to see a Frederick Douglas $20 over an FDR one. I think any President, no matter how great in other areas, that signs an order to round up American citizens based upon ethnicity alone loses to Frederick Douglas since morality trumps office held, IMO.

[Jaepheth]

Of course, in a perfect world Jackson would get replaced, but hey.

Really makes me wonder why they chose Hamilton instead.

My understanding is that the $10 note was next in line for a redesign when the call for a woman on our money started trending; so mostly just due to coincidental timing.

[Elheru Aran]

They do periodically redesign bills fairly often, but changing the actual face on it doesn't happen that much. Talking about stuff like adding watermarks, designs, and what not.

[Simon_Jester]

Right- but if you're already committed to a redesign, you're going to need to make new templates and rearrange things and so on.

So it is a convenient time to change the face on the bill, and if you've committed to changing one face you might as well change the face on the one that's up for redesign.

[Borgholio]

When the $20 is up for redesign again, I wonder how successful a campaign to show Jackson as a butcher would be. Have the $10 replaced by a woman as is currently being done, then replace the $20 with someone like Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King, or a president who actually did something good like FDR or Eisenhower.

[Rogue 9]

Jackson did a couple of good things (mainly involving telling South Carolina to fuck off), but nothing to even remotely counterbalance the Trail of Tears. While he did help shape our republic, he doesn't deserve to be on the currency.

[whackadoodle]

When the $20 is up for redesign again, I wonder how successful a campaign to show Jackson as a butcher would be. Have the $10 replaced by a woman as is currently being done, then replace the $20 with someone like Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King, or a president who actually did something good like FDR or Eisenhower.

I'd like to point out that the greatest slave-owner in Georgia at the time of expulsion was a Cherokee. also, the Cherokee Slave Revolt.

The Five Civilized Tribes liked them some African Slavery.

[Flagg]

When the $20 is up for redesign again, I wonder how successful a campaign to show Jackson as a butcher would be. Have the $10 replaced by a woman as is currently being done, then replace the $20 with someone like Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King, or a president who actually did something good like FDR or Eisenhower.

It's going to be a knockdown drag out fight just to keep that monkey-fucking, jelly bean brained, traitor Ronald Reagan off the fucking $20 bill (I'm honestly surprised it wasn't for the $10 bill) that I'll take an "anyone but him" approach. Unless it's a Bush or Wilson, anyway.

[Borgholio]

It's going to be a knockdown drag out fight just to keep that monkey-fucking, jelly bean brained, traitor Ronald Reagan off the fucking $20 bill (I'm honestly surprised it wasn't for the $10 bill) that I'll take an "anyone but him" approach. Unless it's a Bush or Wilson, anyway.

If Regan gets serious support, then I think the only thing that could stop that would be a campaign to get JFK on the bill instead.

[Flagg]

It's going to be a knockdown drag out fight just to keep that monkey-fucking, jelly bean brained, traitor Ronald Reagan off the fucking $20 bill (I'm honestly surprised it wasn't for the $10 bill) that I'll take an "anyone but him" approach. Unless it's a Bush or Wilson, anyway.

If Regan gets serious support, then I think the only thing that could stop that would be a campaign to get JFK on the bill instead.

It's the secretary of the treasury that usually gets final say, but it can also be done by acts of congress, and the US Mint site doesn't say whether it's something the President can veto. I mean Reagan was less evil than Jackson (taking into account Jackson's "Fuck you, Supreme Court, I have the army under my control, you have dick all to stop me, so I'm gonna wipe my ass with your ruling and kill as many of them goddamned filthy savage injuns as I can!!! set aside your ruling and if Congress has a problem with me ignoring you they can impeach me, but in the meantime we have to move the Indians out of good land we wanna settle despite our ratified treaties and force march them hundreds and hundreds of miles to land we don't want (yet)." And thus was born the trail of tears) so as much as I hate it, Reagan was less evil and thus would be a better choice despite his being a horrible President and a traitor.

[Irbis]

There really is one choice of woman who reflects the values, the mores - indeed, the zeitgeist of the age as our first woman-on-paper gangbang.

Nah:

[Metahive]

I'd like to point out that the greatest slave-owner in Georgia at the time of expulsion was a Cherokee. also, the Cherokee Slave Revolt.

The Five Civilized Tribes liked them some African Slavery.

Therefore...what? They deserved to be sent on the Trail of Tears? Don't beat around the bush, say what you really mean.