The Little-Known Reason Why Harriet Tubman On The $20 Bill Is So Significant (2024)

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The news marks a hugely historic moment after advocates rallied for months to have Tubman be recognized on such a monumental level. It's a significant move that represents one of the most symbolic honors ever awarded to a legendary black icon.

Tubman is the first African American to grace American currency, a major moment especially considering that Tubman, who was born a slave, will occupy the spot once reserved for Jackson -- whom history remembers a racist, genocidal slaveholder.

However, that's not the only reason why Tubman's new recognition on one of the nation's most used bills is so remarkable. The $20 amount also holds special significance to Tubman's story, according to a history lesson The Atlantic's Yoni Appelbaum shared on Twitter Wednesday:

The exceptional story is found in the first known biography of the late Tubman, titled Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman. The book, groundbreaking for its time, was published in 1869 and written by Sarah Hopkins Bradford, a white woman who knew Tubman personally and wrote the book to help raise money for her. This particular lesson embedded within the book helps to bring full circle meaning to having Tubman's face featured on the same money that was once used to buy and sell beaten black bodies.

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However, Tubman, who was born a slave and later escaped to Philadelphia in 1849, was not only a freedom fighter who relentlessly advocated for full freedom of enslaved black people: She also served during the Civil War mainly as a nurse and secret spy for the Union. After returning home to New York in 1865, Tubman took care of her elderly parents and served in a nearby hospital. Her husband died three years later and she fell on hard times financially.

Tubman attempted to receive the compensation she was owed for her service but was denied by the government because she apparently lacked proper documentation of her work, according to Vox. Tubman later appealed to the federal government twice and underwent back-and-forth discussions with the courts. The congressional Committee of Pensions eventually determined that her final compensation be $20 a month.

Given her role in America's complicated racial history, Tubman's face featured prominently on the paper bill has triggered mixed reactions to the news. While some have issued celebratory praise for Tubman's recognition, others are hesitant that it will bring renewed boss status to a black woman whose legacy they fear has been cheapened and commodified.

But the truth is, putting Tubman's face on an American paper bill matters because representation matters. The bill, which is expected to be released in 2030, will show the face of a revolutionary black woman who escaped slavery, founded the Underground Railroad and fought to make her life and her country better.