Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. president, has been featured on the $20 since 1928, but that may be about to change.
As of right now, there are only three women on circulating coins: Susan B. Anthony on the dollar coin, Sacagawea on the dollar coin and Helen Keller on an Alabama quarter. Last year, President Obama said it was, in fact, time to start putting women on U.S. currency after a young girl asked him why there weren’t any. Women on 20’s is now trying to make that happen.
Women on 20s is a campaign aimed at recognizing amazing women in U.S. history by getting their faces on U.S. currency, notably the 20 dollar bill. According to their website, “Women On 20s aims to compel historic change by convincing President Obama that NOW is the time to put a woman’s face on our paper currency.” In order to do so, they’ve nominated fifteen incredible women that you can vote for. After the final voting round finishes (we’re still in the primaries!), the campaign will push for a mandate for the new bill. Their goal is to have this just in time for 2020 which is the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
Let’s take a look at these inspiring candidates!
1. Betty Friedan (1921-2006)
Betty Friedan penned the 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, which was crucial in the second wave of feminism in the United States. She also founded the National Organization for Women, a feminist organization still around today, aimed at empowering the legal status of women. Fifty years after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Betty Friedan organized the Women’s Strike for Equality in New York City to advocate for equality in the workforce.
2. Clara Barton (1821-1912)
Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross after serving as a prominent nurse at a time where many women did not work outside the home, during the Civil War. She traveled Europe after the war, making meaningful connections and expanding her work. She never married, to avoid restricting her work, and published an autobiography before her death. A lesser known fact about her? She has a crater on Venus named after her, among many other places like streets and schools.
3. Margaret Sanger (1879 – 1966)
Margaret Sanger founded the organization that would eventually become Planned Parenthood. A strong believer in the women’s reproductive rights, Sanger was arrested in 1916 for distributing information on contraceptive and later became instrumental in legalizing contraceptives in the United States.
4. Shirley Chisholm (1924 – 2005)
Shirley Chisholm was the first African-American woman elected to Congress in 1968, representing the state of New York. She later went on to run for president, being the first major-party black candidate as well as the first women to run for the Democratic nomination. Before becoming interested in politics, Chisholm ran a daycare and during her time as a Congresswoman, advocated for an increase in funding for childcare.
5. Alice Paul (1885 – 1977)
Alice Paul was a well-known feminist and suffrage leader. She led the National Women’s Party, focusing on raising the legal status of women. She was also a leader in strategizing the campaign for the 19th Amendment. An exciting fact about Alice Paul? She’s an AU alum, having attended the Washington College of Law and later returning for a Doctorate in Civil Laws.
6. Susan B. Anthony (1820 – 1906)
Another well-known name, Susan B. Anthony was a feminist leader as well as an abolitionist. She worked with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and helped found the National Women Suffrage Association (known today as the National American Women Suffrage Association). Although she never lived to see it passed, she was pivotal in presenting the 19th Amendment to Congress. The campaign to get Susan B. Anthony’s face on the 20 dollar bill may be a little bit harder as she already appears on the dollar coin.
7. Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964)
Rachel Carson’s achievements lie not in politics, but in biology. In her pivotal book The Silent Spring, Carson brought national attention to the adverse effects of pesticides on the environment. Her writings led to the national ban of DDT and movements that would eventually lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Many of her unpublished works were posthumously published and she also received many other honors after death including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
8. Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005)
Rosa Parks was more than an inspiring woman who refused to give up her seat; she was a long-time activist who would become the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She was secretary of Montgomery’s NAACP chapter and attended the Highlander Folk School, a school that trained activists for racial equality. After the Montgomery Bus Boycott, she continued her activism through support of the Black Power movement and political prisoners.
9. Sojourner Truth (1797 – 1883)
Sojourner Truth escaped slavery with her infant daughter in 1826 and went on to become a prominent abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. Her most famous speech is her “Ain’t I A Woman?” which she delivered in 1851 at a Women’s Rights Convention. During the Civil War, she served as a recruiter for black troops and tried, though unsuccessfully, for land grants for former slaves.
10. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962)
The longest-serving First Lady in U.S. history, Eleanor Roosevelt was active in politics and advocated for women’s rights as well as rights for African and Asian Americans. Serving on the UN Commission on Human Rights, she was present when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted. Moreover, she actively used the media and actually banned male reporters from her press conferences in order to improve the status of female reporters. There’s even a statue of her at the FDR memorial here in D.C.
11. Harriet Tubman (1822 – 1913)
Harriet Tubman is best known for her escape from slavery and subsequent missions (thirteen in total) back to the South to help other slaves escape. She also served as a Union Spy during the Civil War. However, she was never adequately paid for her service and only finally received a government pension in 1899. After the war, she went on to support women’s suffrage, working closely with Susan B. Anthony and traveling the country to give speeches on women’s voting rights.
12. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815 – 1902)
Another well-known suffragist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered her Declaration of Sentiments on the Seneca Falls Convention, advocating for women’s voting rights. In addition to being an abolitionist as well as part of the temperance movement, Stanton founded the first women’s rights movements in the United States. Throughout her life, she worked closely with Susan B. Anthony and published many articles and pamphlets throughout her life, outlining her views.
13. Patsy Mink (1927 – 2002)
A more recent figure, Patsy Mink was the first woman of color and Asian American woman elected to Congress, where she served as Congresswoman for the state of Hawaii. She was also the first Asian-American woman to pursue the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party in 1972. During her time as a Congresswoman, she authored and supported the Title IX Amendment which has since been renamed in her honor. She, like Carson, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom after her death.
14. Barbara Jordan (1936 – 1996)
Barbara Jordan was a pivotal African American politician. She was the first woman to be elected from the south to the United States House of Representatives and the first to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. During her time as a politician, she supported the renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act as well as the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act, aimed at helping minorities receive bank services. Jordan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.
15. Frances Perkins (1880 – 1956)
Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet as the U.S. Secretary of Labor. She was also the longest serving, appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. During her time in this position, she was instrumental in the drafting of the New Deal legislation. She also helped create the Civilian Conservation Corps which would result in the Social Security Act. After her service, she became a teacher at Cornell University.
Be sure to vote here for who you believe should be represented on the 20 dollar bill!
Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16