who should be on the 20 dollar bill

The $20 bill is still officially Andrew Jackson’s, but the most widely supported answer for who should be on it today is Harriet Tubman, with a growing chorus suggesting we move beyond presidents entirely.

Quick Scoop

Who should be on the 20 dollar bill is no longer just a trivia question—it’s a live debate about history, values, and who gets honored in everyday life. Jackson has been on the note since 1928, but criticism of his record on slavery and Native American removal has fueled calls for change.

“A bill of money is not just a piece of paper… The person depicted on US currency is either an in-group member that people identify with, or an out- group member that people do not identify with.”

Where Things Stand Now

• The current face on the 20 dollar bill is Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States.

• He has appeared on the note’s front since 1928, with the White House on the back.

• Jackson is praised by some for his populist appeal, but strongly criticized for owning enslaved people and driving Native American removal policies.

• Those harms are a major reason many argue his place on such a prominent bill is “outdated and insensitive.”

In 2016, the U.S. Treasury announced Harriet Tubman would replace Jackson on the front of the 20 dollar bill, with Jackson moved to the reverse in a redesigned note. Public campaigns like “Women on 20s” helped propel Tubman to the top of a national poll on who should be on the 20 dollar bill.

Leading Candidate: Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman comes up again and again in public discussions about who should be on the 20 dollar bill, and not by accident.

Why Tubman?

• She was an abolitionist who escaped slavery and then led dozens of enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad in the 19th century.

• In a grassroots poll organized by “Women on 20s,” Tubman received the most votes as the preferred face for a future note.

• Supporters see honoring an enslaved woman who fought oppression as a powerful symbolic reversal of Jackson’s legacy on slavery and Native American displacement.

• Social-psychology research finds that people from groups seeking change (Democrats, liberals, women, Black Americans) are more likely to favor replacing Jackson with Tubman.

In forum-style discussions, many proposal lineups explicitly name “$20 – Harriet Tubman,” treating her as the natural successor for the bill.

Keep Jackson, Replace Him, or Go Symbolic?

The debate over who should be on the 20 dollar bill usually breaks into three camps.

1. Keep Andrew Jackson

Supporters argue:

• Jackson was a transformative populist president who reshaped American politics and is already part of the country’s currency tradition.

• Changing faces is seen as erasing history instead of confronting it.

2. Replace Jackson with Tubman (or another underrepresented figure)

Advocates say:

• Featuring a Black woman abolitionist on one of the most-used notes would align the currency with modern values of equality and inclusion.

• It corrects the imbalance where almost all people on major U.S. bills are men, and women have rarely appeared (Martha Washington was the only woman to appear on certain 19th-century certificates).

• It sends a signal that resistance to slavery and racism is central to the national story, not peripheral.

3. Move away from people entirely

Some forum voices propose dropping portraits and using national landmarks, parks, or symbolic imagery instead. They argue that:

• Landscapes and symbols sidestep identity battles and “in-group vs. out-group” fights over who’s represented.

• It could highlight shared heritage—natural wonders, historic sites, or civic ideals—rather than contentious individuals.

Sample Proposed Lineup

Here’s an example of how some online discussions reimagine the bills.

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Denomination	Suggested Face
$1	George Washington (unchanged)
$5	Abraham Lincoln (unchanged)
$10	Alexander Hamilton (unchanged after 2016 decision)
$20	Harriet Tubman (replace Jackson on the front)
$50	Geronimo, representing Native American history
$100	Benjamin Franklin (unchanged)

This kind of lineup mixes continuity (familiar faces) with a move toward a more diverse and reflective set of figures.

So…Who Should Be on It?

Putting it all together, a reasoned answer looks like this:

1. If you prioritize correcting historical injustices and broadening representation, Harriet Tubman is the strongest candidate for the 20 dollar bill. Her life story directly challenges the injustices tied to Jackson’s legacy and reflects widely shared modern values of courage, freedom, and civil rights.

2. If you worry about erasing history, you might support moving Jackson to the reverse side (as planned in the 2016 redesign) or to a less-used form, while placing Tubman on the front.

3. If you want to avoid fights over individuals altogether, you might argue that no person should be on the 20 dollar bill—and that iconic national sites or symbols should take their place.

Given current public debates, research on attitudes, and official redesign plans, the most defensible, widely resonant answer to “who should be on the 20 dollar bill” is: Harriet Tubman on the front, with Jackson at most moved to the back or off the note entirely.

TL;DR:
Harriet Tubman is the leading and most widely supported choice for who should be on the 20 dollar bill, reflecting a shift toward honoring freedom, resistance to slavery, and broader representation—while some still defend keeping Jackson or replacing portraits with national symbols.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.