On Thursday, a group of 64 Democrats wrote to Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew urging him to reconsider removing Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill and boot President Andrew Jackson from the $20 instead, in making space for a to-be-determined woman.
Bill Pascrell (NJ-08) and Stacey Plastkett (VI), who represent the places where Hamilton lived, spearheaded the letter.
The letter highlights Hamilton's support for the abolition of slavery and Jackson's support for slavery, genocidal mistreatment of Native Americans, and opposition to a central banking system and central currency:
Although President Jackson is celebrated for founding the modern Democratic Party, for his populist achievements, and for his military prowess, he was also a slaveholder responsible for the Trail of Tears, which forced southeastern Native American tribes into mass migrations that resulted in thousands of Native American deaths. President Jackson contributed to the United States' painful history in its treatment of Native Americans, one that we are still working to rectify. Furthermore, President Jackson was a fierce opponent of the central banking system and paper currency, making him an ironic choice to be immortalized on our currency.
Here is the
letter in full:
Dear Secretary Lew,
We, like you, believe America’s currency sends a message both at home and abroad about our shared values, which is why we applaud your announcement that a notable women will be featured on U.S. currency. However, we have to get that message right. We are concerned with your choice to feature a woman on the ten dollar bill, as opposed to the more prevalent twenty dollar bill.
As you know, the grassroots campaign to redesign the twenty dollar bill, Women On 20s, rightfully garnered the strong support of many Americans. The campaign highlighted that our currency is a way for our nation to make a statement about who we are and what we stand for. For this reason, we find it disappointing that Alexander Hamilton, one of the most influential interpreters of the U.S. Constitution, a passionate advocate for the abolition of slavery, and the founder of the nation’s financial system, will be removed from our currency while President Andrew Jackson retains his place on the twenty.
Although President Jackson is celebrated for founding the modern Democratic Party, for his populist achievements, and for his military prowess, he was also a slaveholder responsible for the Trail of Tears, which forced southeastern Native American tribes into mass migrations that resulted in thousands of Native American deaths. President Jackson contributed to the United States' painful history in its treatment of Native Americans, one that we are still working to rectify. Furthermore, President Jackson was a fierce opponent of the central banking system and paper currency, making him an ironic choice to be immortalized on our currency.
We understand that the Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence Steering Committee has recommended the redesign of the ten dollar bill due to concerns about counterfeiting. However, the decision to feature a woman on U.S. currency should be a thoughtful one and rooted in the desire to recognize her contributions to our country, not just secondary to other considerations. Our currency has been historically dominated by men, but the time has come for that to change.
In order to provide this long overdue recognition for the significant achievements and contributions women have made to the United States, we urge you to feature a woman on a more utilized denomination, like the twenty dollar bill. As you know, in 2014, there were 8.1 billion twenty dollar bills in circulation, compared with only 1.9 billion ten dollar notes. Given the fact that men are currently featured on all six paper currencies and all four of the most commonly used coins, redesigning the less-circulated ten dollar bill in a way that features a notable woman with Hamilton, as has been proposed, is simply not adequate.
The decision to add a woman to our paper currency is an important step forward for our country. We reiterate our deep concern with the effort to remove Alexander Hamilton from the ten dollar bill while preserving President Jackson on the more heavily-utilized twenty dollar bill.
We hope to work with you to preserve Alexander Hamilton’s place on our currency while elevating a woman to a place she deserves. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Here are the 62 additional signers:
Alma Adams (NC-12)
Don Beyer (VA-08)
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Madeleine Bordallo (Guam)
Bob Brady (PA-01)
Corrine Brown (FL-05)
Mike Capuano (MA-07)
Matt Cartwright (PA-17)
Katherine Clark (MA-05)
Yvette Clarke (NY-09)
Lacy Clay (MO-01)
John Conyers (MI-13)
Diane DeGette (CO-01)
John Delaney (MD-06)
Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)
Suzan DelBene (WA-01)
Debbie Dingell (MI-12)
Donna Edwards (MD-04)
Keith Ellison (MN-05)
Elizabeth Esty (CT-05)
Marcia Fudge (OH-11)
Alan Grayson (FL-09)
Raul Grijalva (AZ-03)
Janice Hahn (CA-44)
Alcee Hastings (FL-20)
Brian Higgins (NY-26)
Jim Himes (CT-04)
Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)
Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08)
Hank Johnson (GA-04)
Derek Kilmer (WA-06)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01)
Brenda Lawrence (MI-14)
Grace Meng (NY-06)
Ted Lieu (CA-33)
Stephen Lynch (MA-08)
Betty McCollumn (MN-04)
Jim McDermott (WA-07)
Jim McGovern (MA-02)
Gregory Meeks (NY-05)
Jerry Nadler (NY-10)
Richard Neal (MA-01)
Donald Norcross (NJ-01)
Frank Pallone (NJ-06)
Mark Pocan (WI-02)
Mike Quigley (IL-05)
Charlie Rangel (NY-13)
Cedric Richmond (LA-02)
Tim Ryan (OH-13)
Linda Sanchez (CA-38)
Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)
Albio Sires (NJ-08)
Louise Slaughter (NY-25)
Adam Smith (WA-09)
Jackie Speier (CA-14)
Mike Thompson (CA-05)
Chris Van Hollen (MD-08)
Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)
Frederica Wilson (FL-24)
Hamilton, of course, is no progressive hero:
Hamilton has long been considered an icon of the aristocratic, Burkean tradition...Hamilton wished the French revolution had never happened, and championed banks and the wealthy (he wanted to “unite the interest and credit of rich individuals with those of the state”).
But he's certainly better than Andrew Jackson.
Personally, I think having fixed faces on currency (or even faces at all) is rather archaic. But that's another issue.