Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony were the among leading nominees for whose faces could be displayed on the proposed new $10 bill. The nominees were discussed during a meeting the home of women's rights movements.
During the town hall meeting in the remarkable Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca, N.Y., hundreds of attendees, men and women of different ages, were present. The hour-long meeting was hosted by U.S. Treasurer Rosa Rios and invited people from the audience younger than 21 to join her on the stage.
"I am especially grateful for the next generation who has joined us here today," Rios said, according to USA Today. "This meeting is not about me, it is not about Treasury, it is about them. I am here because of them."
US Treasurer, Rosie Rios, gathers future voters in Seneca Falls to discuss #thenewten #womenon20's pic.twitter.com/YZJxqXt4gN
— S. B. Anthony Museum (@SusanBHouse) August 31, 2015
"For those of you who may not know," she added, "the theme of the family of notes for all denominations is democracy. And, the charge from the secretary was to reach out to the American public and get your thoughts."
During the meeting, the treasurer explained the issue on currency. She added that on June 18, Jack Lew, Treasurer Secretary, said that the public should be involved in the issue and should engage and "have a conversation about the redesign on our currency."
The $10 bill is the first to be redesigned since it is more prone to copying. The rest of the bills are next in the series of redesigns in order to protect the United States treasury from counterfeiting, New York Daily News reported.
Tubman was the top choice, but some prefer to see her in the new $20 bill, including a descendant of Tubman, who was a "conductor" in the Underground Railroad.
"We want Aunt Harriet on the 20," said 88-year-old Pauline Copes-Johnson, a great-great-grand-niece of Tubman. "She is the woman who helped change the outcome of the United States, and I'm very proud of her and her accomplishments."
Since several suggestions were gathered from the audience, suffragette leader, Susan B. Anthony had several supporters. Eleanor Roosevelt and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were endorsed by other members of the audience, according to Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
After the finalization of the decision, the bills would most likely be in circulation after a year or two.
