Harriet Tubman was an American hero; she famously led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the underground railroad and served as a spy for the North in the Civil War. Without a doubt, Tubman played a significant role in American history, which is why President Joe Biden plans to put her on the twenty-dollar bill. If the act passes, Harriet Tubman will be the first woman on a bill, the first African American, and the first person who is not a founding father or president. Trident asked CdM students what they thought about the matter.

Many students believed it is a wonderful idea to have Harriet Tubman’s portrait on our currency because of all that she’s done for our country. This movement was especially supported because many feel African Americans are largely unrecognized for their role in our nation’s history. Eighth-grader Kayden Aziz said, “I think it’s a good idea to represent African Americans on our money because they are under-represented in our history. Also because our money is supposed to represent America, so it should be more diverse.” America is known to be the great melting pot. The very founding of our country was by foreigners, and today people from all over the world come here for the “American dream.” The result is a diverse population, which should be represented in our currency.

Other students were unsure about putting someone on our money who wasn’t a founding father or president. They feel that historical significance can be ambiguous, and while they welcome the idea of diversifying our currency, they think it should stay within certain guidelines. For example, students supported the idea of Barack Obama or a future female president on our currency. Freshman Sara Samini said, “I think it’s important to keep the tradition, but also get some new people. So, change the money, but keep it a president.” They believe this is the best mix of old and new.

Lastly, while being interviewed Ethan Chen, a freshman, pointed out that in the future nobody will use cash. More and more people use credit cards instead of cash, and eventually, it will be irrelevant. “It would be for nothing to change our money and then have it just be replaced with digital currency anyway.”

Harriet Tubman was a true American hero, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she is the best choice to replace Andrew Jackson.