There are some truths I know to be absolute: gas station sushi is a bad idea, Betty White is a national treasure, and the internet is full of racist people. And if you need proof of that third claim, look no further than the internet’s response to the Treasury Department’s announcement that Harriet Tubman will be replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

First of all–this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Plans to redesign the most commonly used bills have been underway for some time, and the push to place a female face on American currency has been a longstanding effort. Additionally, Tubman won’t be the only woman to be featured on paper currency come the 2020 redesign–according to WIRED:

And so Hamilton will remain on the face (you can thank, or blame, the hit musical Hamilton for that), while the obverse will feature abolitionists and women’s rights activists Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul. The $5 bill is changing as well, to ‘honor historic events that occurred at the Lincoln Memorial in service of our democracy,’ according to the Treasury. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Marian Anderson, and Eleanor Roosevelt will appear on the bill.

However, it’s the Tubman addition that the internet is freaking out about, and while a lot of reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, there are plenty of jerks responding with bigotry, racism, and general idiocy. Here’s some examples:

@FoxNews who in the world is that? Never heard of her & don’t want her on the money period. I will refuse any $20 bill with that on it #tcot

— thetruthishere (@marctyler30) April 20, 2016

The Wonkette collected some charming examples from the comment sections of articles written about the addition of Tubman to the $20; here are some particularly vomit-worthy standouts from an article written by Jim Hoft on the Gateway Pundit:

I would think the EBT card would be more appropriate.

Can you guess how many of them will be defaced… and how fast? As much as they try to rid the enword from our language, this will increase it’s use exponentially.

this will go the way of the sacagawea golden dollar. i will not accept a twenty dollar bill until it has jackson back on it. give me 10’s and 50’s…i’ll deal with it…you should too. these self serving racist do gooders must be stopped

Here’s, of course, a call for our future savior Donald Trump to step in and put an end to the malarky:

@FoxNews

Whats next, There is nothing in this country that is good enough anymore. We need Trump to stop all the PC crap.

— OhReally (@OhReally22) April 20, 2016

It wasn’t just the anonymous people on the internet getting involved in the debate. Talking head Greta Van Susteren went on a rant last night on Fox about how the addition of Tubman on our $20 bill and removing Jackson is “dividing the country” and “creating a completely unnecessary fight,” which is amusing given that she propagated a fight that didn’t actually exist by bringing it up on her show. 

And then, of course, you have Republican hopeful himself, Donald Trump, who came out against putting Tubman on the $20 as “pure political correctness,” suggesting that she be featured on the $2 bill instead. He also defended Jackson, the man who was responsible for the Trail of Tears saying that he should remain on the $20. 

America, this is why we can’t have nice things. 

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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The Broadway show “Hamilton” created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is at the top of almost everyone’s must-see list. Based on the story of Alexander Hamilton–founding father, treasury secretary, and winner of the most awkward death award–the musical retells Hamilton’s story for a 21st century audience. The musical has attracted so many fans, in fact, that many were unhappy to hear that the Treasury Department was considering removing Hamilton from the $10 bill. But according to Miranda, Hamilton fans won’t be disappointed with the new bill.

The $10 bill is being redesigned after protests gained traction last year to put a woman on American currency. While the campaign “Women on 20s” originally aimed to change the $20 bill and remove Andrew Jackson’s likeness, the $10 was chosen for a female-friendly re-design instead. According to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, the choice was because it would help stop counterfeiting. He said “currency is primarily redesigned as necessary to address current and potential security threats to currency notes.”

However, when it was announced that the $10 would be redesigned and feature a woman, the reactions were mixed. While it will be great to see a woman’s face on the $10, Hamilton is significantly more beloved than Jackson’s–one of Jackson’s biggest legacies was signing the horrendous Indian Removal Act of 1830.

But never fear, Hamilton fans (or “Hamilton” fans)–as Miranda recently tweeted this good news:

I talked to @USTreasury about this on Monday. Sec. Lew told me “you’re going to be very happy.” #wegetthejobdonehttps://t.co/ZkLFuSmz8M

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 16, 2016

Lew’s office also released the following statement:

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 at the Treasury Department.

The Secretary thanked Miranda for the ingenious way in which he has been 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 will be interesting to see how Hamilton is incorporated in the new redesign–and also how whatever woman is chosen will be featured. It’s expected that the new bill will be launched in 2020, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of American women getting the right to vote.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Good News, Hamilton Fans: It Looks Like He Might Be Staying on the $10 Bill appeared first on Law Street.

In the immortal words of the one and only Beyonce Knowles “Who run the world? Girls!” But that anthem makes me wonder–if that’s the case, why in the U.S. are there no female faces on the actual thing that makes our world go round–our money? The nonprofit “Women on 20s” hopes to change that with its campaign aiming to get a famous female face on the twenty-dollar bill by 2020. The date would celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote.

One of these 4 women could replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. #WomenOn20s @avianneflu http://t.co/6zWlCdNX0V pic.twitter.com/brFmW1EZ7i

— Paul Shin (@PaulHBShin) April 8, 2015

“Women on 20s” started this portion of its advocacy by allowing voters to pick from 15 candidates, all of whom have made significant strides in history in her own right, and now it’s down to the final four. The final contenders include First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, civil rights activist Rosa Parks, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, and Cherokee Nation leader Wilma Mankiller.

The group’s executive director Susan Ades Stone told ABC News:

In the past 48 hours since the final round started, we’ve had 60,000 people cast votes already. Though all these women and many more deserve to be honored, the winner will be a symbol of what we hope are greater things to come.

But why the 20-dollar bill? Well according to the group’s website, continuing to immortalize Andrew Jackson on our money is blatantly disrespectful to American Indians and also kind of ironic.

While our nation’s seventh president was celebrated for founding the Democratic party, he also signed, supported, and enforced the Indian Removal Act of 1830, commonly known as the “Trail of Tears.” This mass relocation of American Indians off their “resource-rich land” to provide space for white European settlers resulted in the deaths of thousands from exposure, disease and starvation. Wilma Mankiller, who was the first elected female chief of a Native nation in modern times, could very well be the perfect American Indian-positive revamp for the somewhat tainted bill.

As for irony, according to the campaign’s site Jackson was actually a “fierce opponent of the central banking system and favored gold and silver coin or ‘hard money’ over paper currency,” making his permanent place on papered 20s quite funny.

Stone told ABC News that after the voting period ends, “Women on 20s” will “ask President Obama to start the process of getting the winning woman on the bill.”

Do you want a say in which lady graces the new twenty-dollar bill? Get involved and cast your ballot here, or tell us your pick in the comments below. All of these historic ladies deserve to grace our dough, but there can only be one winner.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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