Make Jefferson Give Up His Bill
The pictures on the money help make citizens think they are part of a country. This is an obvious fact not to be ignored. As we enter a divisive election year, putting Harriet Tubman on the currency is a good idea for this nation. Her image can be one that unites us instead of dividing us.
First Alexander Hamilton on the tenspot and then Andrew Jackson was to give up his place on the twenty-dollar bill. I think that keeping Jackson on the double sawbuck is important. Jackson was the first Democrat president and the first American populist. Jackson was surrounded by men from his military career that came from modest backgrounds. Andrew Jackson’s presidency was a campaign of the “common” man. Jackson’s campaign was more inclusive than previous presidential entourages had been.
His legacy is important because populism is a double-edged sword. Populism can seem inclusive. However, it can be a dictatorship of the majority as well.
There are so many cautionary tales that are part of the Jackson presidency, it seems actually dangerous to do away with him at this moment in time. Andrew Jackson can help Americans understand the excesses of populism with the tragic Trail of Tears a primary lesson. I do not wish to see Andrew Jackson on the dustbin of history just yet.
