Harriet Tubman tops Women on 20s poll to replace Andrew Jackson
- Published: May 13, 2015, 5 AM

We have a winner.
The Women on 20s poll is now closed and Underground Railroad pioneer Harriet Tubman is the top vote-getter, meaning the organization will now petition President Obama to have her portrait replace that of President Andrew Jackson on the $20 Federal Reserve note.
Women on 20s announced the winner on Tuesday, May 12.
Tubman accrued 118,328 votes in the final round of voting, beating out fellow finalists Eleanor Roosevelt (111,227 votes), Rosa Parks (64,173 votes), and Wilma Mankiller (58,703 votes).
The finalists were picked by voters from a group of 15 women that were included in the primary round, with Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, being automatically advanced to the finals.
Finals voting took place between April 6 and May 10 (Mother's Day) after primary voting ran from March 1 to April 5.
RELATED: Susan Sarandon backs effort to put a woman on $20 FRN
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., already introduced the Women on the Twenty Act on April 15, which seeks to put together a citizen panel to recommend to the secretary of the U.S. Treasury a woman whose likeness would be featured on the $20 note in place of Jackson, a controversial figure due to his treatment of Native Americans during his presidency in the early 19th century.
Now we know which woman might be at the center of that effort.
Women on 20s describes Tubman:
Considered by many the “Moses” of her time, escaped slave Harriet Tubman became one of the country’s leading abolitionists before the Civil War. She returned to the South an estimated 19 times to rescue her family and others from bondage as a “conductor” on what was known as the Underground Railroad, an elaborate secret network of safe houses leading to freedom in the North. Later, with her intimate knowledge of the geography and transportation systems of the South, she became a valuable asset to the Union army as a spy and scout. Her Herculean accomplishments were attributed to extraordinary courage, shrewdness and determination. The Quaker Thomas Garrett said of her, “If she had been a white woman, she would have been heralded as the greatest woman of her age.”
The nomination of Tubman also comes only a month after Rep. Yvette Clarke, R-N.Y., introduced a bill in the House of Representatives on April 13 titled the “Harriet ‘Moses’ Tubman Congressional Gold Medal Act.”
The bill, H.R. 1743, would posthumously award a congressional gold medal to Harriet Tubman, in recognition of her contributions and lifelong commitment in the fight for freedom of enslaved men, women, and children in the United States.
Keep reading about the Women on 20s movement:
Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi latest to tweet support for Women on 20s
Obama responds to girl who wants women on coins and notes
More from CoinWorld.com:
Rare Roman gold medallion leads Bonhams’ June 1 auction
ModernCoinMart has been sold to GovMint.com owner Asset Marketing Services
U.S. Mint removes ordering limit for 2015 March of Dimes Special Silver Set
School in United Kingdom reveals hoard of 300 Roman coins
2105 March of Dimes Special Silver Set currently unavailable from U.S. Mint
Keep up with all of CoinWorld.com's news and insights by signing up for our free eNewsletters, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Twitter. We're also on Instagram!