Harriet Tubman $20 Bill: Legacy, Controversy, and the Long Road to Recognition

Initiatives to feature Harriet Tubman on the US $20 bill, originally suggested in 2015 by the group Women on Twenties, remain in limbo despite fresh legislative efforts. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced the Harriet Tubman Tribute Act in March 2025, which would require the Treasury to print Tubman's image on the $20 bill by December 31, 2030. The attempt to replace Andrew Jackson—who is associated with slavery and the Indian Removal Act—has encountered setbacks during both the Trump and Biden administrations, with the Treasury citing the need for anti-counterfeiting improvements. Tubman, born into slavery in 1822, escaped through the Underground Railroad and led 70 enslaved individuals to freedom. She also served as a nurse, scout, and spy for the Union Army and led the Combahee Ferry Raid in June 1863, liberating 700 people. After the war, she established the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and fought for women's suffrage. In November 2024, she received a posthumous promotion to Brigadier General from the Maryland National Guard. Tubman would be the first African American to appear on US paper currency, joining only two women—Martha Washington and Pocahontas—who have briefly been featured. The ongoing delays have been criticized as indicative of persistent racism and sexism.