Why can’t a woman have her own bill without bumping or crowding Alexander Hamilton? For those who have forgotten, Alexander Hamilton was a brilliant man of his time. He was an orphan, and an immigrant from the West Indies who rose to be the first Secretary of the Treasury because of his intelligence. He was a right hand man to General George Washington, organizing the first artillery company, and personally helping to coordinate the various revolutionary generals under Washington. Hamilton, arguably saved the new country from financial ruin, developing a banking system and immediately burying the hatchet with Great Britain, and cooperating on trade and financial affairs. Hamilton was one of the most influential men of the age of enlightenment, whose influence on the United States Constitution is unmatched. The very existence of the Constitution owes a great deal to his promoting the concept, and many of his ideas went into it, as they did into the Federalist papers as well.
Okay, so there is a strong case for keeping Hamilton. Probably strong arguments could be found for all the men on all the denominations. Yet, it IS way past time that a woman appears on the currency of our nation. A country that in spite of its obvious imperfections on the subject of women’s rights, is still among the countries that consistently fights for women’s rights world wide. Ours is a country known to have among the most liberated women in the world. A country, perhaps, about to elect a woman as President.
I started with a question and I will end with a question. Why not a $200 dollar bill? Why not a $ 200 dollar bill with a woman on it?