Most Americans probably would not appreciate having a slaver and ethnic cleanser on our money. Yet that's exactly the case today, as Samantha Bee points out in a new video looking at the Treasury Department's decision to replace former President Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the front of the $20 bill.
In Bee's words, Jackson was "a complete and utter genocidal shitstain." She points out that Jackson took part in the following:
- He owned a lot of slaves.
- He fought in as many as 100 duels, and killed at least one person.
- He ordered ethnic cleansing, forcefully removing Native Americans from their land and causing thousands of deaths.
- His economic policies as president led to the Panic of 1837, one of the worst economic crises in American history.
Given this legacy, it's not surprising that Jackson will be removed from the front of the $20 bill — although perhaps a little surprising that he's still being put on the back.
For more on Jackson, read Dylan Matthews's explainer.
Women on banknotes around the world
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