Abolitionist Harriet Tubman will appear on the front of the $20 bill, replacing former President Andrew Jackson and becoming the first woman and first minority featured on U.S. paper currency in modern times, the Treasury Department said, in a design overhaul that will leave Alexander Hamilton on the $10 note.
The move is the latest chapter in a 10-month controversy that erupted after Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew tried to address gender imbalance on U.S. currency notes. He opened up the selection process to the public just as the current face on the $10 bill was enjoying a resurgence in notoriety, and outrage ensued.