For decades, the women of America have waited with anticipation to see a representative of their gender on a piece of our national currency. That wait is finally over. In June of 2015, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced that a woman would be replacing the current star of the $10 bill, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary and founding father of our national banking system, was to be removed, and replaced with a woman figure on bills that would enter circulation by the 2030s. The announcement initially passed without a hitch, as Hamilton had never been one of the most well known of our founding fathers. This all changed with a musical.
"Hamilton," the musical -- not the man -- has been a critical and box office success. The unique rap musical created by visionary Lin-Manuel Miranda has been the hit show on Broadway this past year. The hip hop sensation tells the underdog life story of the scrappy West Indies immigrant, and soon-to-be founding father, Alexander Hamilton. The show has garnered wide spread success and has created a new generation of young fans now interested in the history of our nation and the men who created it.
When the news of Hamilton's possible replacement on the $10 bill broke, Hamilton -- fans dubbed "Hamiltonians" -- were outraged. They rallied behind their leader, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who took up the task of saving his hero's legacy. Miranda even met with Jacob Lew to discuss the profound effect Hamilton has had on the founding of our country and banking system, and how it would be wrong to take him off of our currency.
Following the meeting, Miranda briefed his fans tweeting, "I talked to @USTreasury about this on Monday. Sec. Lew told me 'you're going to be very happy' #wegetthejobdone." The hashtag was a reference to the musical.
Following this tweet, a Treasury spokeswoman described the conversation stating:
"On Monday, Secretary Lew welcomed Lin-Manuel Miranda to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Secretary and Miranda talked about the enduring mark Alexander Hamilton left on our nation's history, and the Secretary provided a brief tour of Hamilton's possessions and portraits on display in the Treasury Department.
The Secretary thanked Miranda for the ingenious way in which he was able to tell Hamilton's story and ignite a renewed interest in one of our nation's founding fathers. Secretary Lew also reiterated his commitment to continue to honor Alexander Hamilton on the 10 dollar bill."
It was announced on April 20 that the Obama Administration, instead, planned to replace the more controversial figure, Andrew Jackson, on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman. The unveiling of the new $20 bill will take place in 2020, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment for women's suffrage.
