Although Jackson at the time of his presidency and even still in this modern age was seen as a powerful and strategic leader who lead America to what it is today, he was also a highly controversial figure. His legacy as president was so controversial that a movement was started for him to be removed as the face of the twenty-dollar bill. Originally the movement was to remove Hamilton as the face of the ten-dollar bill, although the backlash from Hamilton fans was too severe to go forward with this proposal. There was also mass criticism due to the fact that Hamilton helped create the modern treasury system so removing him from the currency seemed ironic and unfair. Therefore the public movement turned to the memorably controversial Jackson to be removed in the place of Hamilton.
It was proposed that Jackson be replaced on the twenty-dollar bill with the historical figure Harriet Tubman. A figure such as Tubman held a very different legacy than Jackson and most people believed that Tubman's legacy was more empowering to all of the people, especially women and African Americans who currently hold no face on any American currency.
Jackson’s most famed controversy is considered to be the “Trail of Tears.” This was a historical event in which he forcefully removed thousands of Native Americans from their homelands here in the United States and made them relocate to places they had never known to be home or even been too. Many died in the process and it was considered to be a variation of ethnic cleansing and one of the darkest moments of American history. Although this was not the only aspect of Jackson’s career that tainted his legacy. Along with his unethical and what some would consider inhumane political decisions, he also had notably aggressive behavior issues and was known to be a violent person even for his time. In fact, it is recorded that although most of the general people related to Jackson at the time, a lot genuinely feared him and considered him a dangerous man. Jackson is considered by a majority of modern Americans as a cruel aggressive leader and lots seek for him to be removed from the twenty-dollar bill. Although some have objected to the removal of Jackson claiming that most American leaders would not be considered “good people” if judged in the modern day time, the majority still disagree and wish to go forward with his removal. It is still up for debate whether Jackson will or will not be removed and when, considering the time and effort it will take to reprint the bill and distribute currency, although the movement for his removal is still strong and thriving.
Sources
Hey Bella, this is a super interesting blog post as I know that many people are protesting Jackson on the bill. A lot of Native Americans for example refuse to hold or possess the $20 bill because of Jackson's inhumane delegations as you mentioned. Personally, I feel like Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill is honestly more representative in terms of capturing American ideals and values because she truly represents someone who came from the ground up and someone who fought for what she believed in without infringing on others' rights. She ACTUALLY was a slave (unlike Jackson's false branding himself as a common man) and she put her own life at risk to fight for other slaves' freedom. According to PBS, she helped approximately 300 slaves escape to the North to freedom. This is bravery and courage that America should highlight. She also became an avid women's rights supporter later on in her life, which our currency needs -- women.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html
I think that this is a really interesting, important point. Historical figures are often judged by modern ideals but Jackson was harsh even for his time. I think that trying to diversify the US currency to more correctly represent historical figures (like women and African-Americans) is very important to help our history live on.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your approach of using the controversy of the face printed upon our $20 bill to express the conflicting legacy of Andrew Jackson. Your article also made me curious as to why people wanted Hamilton removed from the $10 bill. After doing a little more research, I found that the suggestion to do so was not due to similar controversy surrounding Hamilton's legacy, but rather a call for the face of a woman to appear on national bills. This probably also explains a part of the motivations behind arguing that Harriet Tubman be printed on the $20 instead of Jackson.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alexander-hamilton-woman-10-dollar-bill_n_55a6891fe4b0c5f0322bfcb6
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you addressed the many negative aspects of President Jackson's presidency which supported the argument for Jackson's removal from the 20 dollar bill. However, Jackson was the first president where the people were able to relate to him. He was after all the people's president, and many at the time supported his decisions. He also formed the democratic party, and got the name jackass from his opponents which later became a donkey, the symbol for the democratic party. Overall, although Jackson did have his negatives, important positives came out from his term as president, many of which be considered on the subject of removing him from the 20 dollar bill.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://www.biography.com/us-president/andrew-jackson
I like how you acknowledge the fact that Andrew Jackson was a powerful and strategic leader for the American people and then how you follow up with a convincing argument on why he should be removed from the 20 dollar bill. I also agree that Andrew Jackson should be removed from the 20 dollar bill but if we take a look back in time, at that point Andrew Jackson was loved by many(except the Indians of course). Yes he committed many atrocious acts but he also followed up with positives such as forming the Democratic Party and beating the British in the Battle of New Orleans. He represented the common man for white men only which is why I believe that someone else should be placed there who is more reflective of what we consider to be "true" American ideals.
ReplyDelete