The Treasury Department is redesigning the $10 bill to feature a woman — just who has yet to be determined — for the first time in over a century.
The new note is expected to be unveiled later this year, but it will not go into circulation until 2020 — the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew told reporters on Wednesday that he will select a notable woman who had played a major role in American history and whose actions fit with the theme of democracy. The currency cannot feature a living person.
"America's currency is a way for our nation to make a statement about who we are and what we stand for. Our paper bills-and the images of great American leaders and symbols they depict-have long been a way for us to honor our past and express our values," Lew said in a statement. "We have only made changes to the faces on our currency a few times since bills were first put into circulation, and I'm proud that the new 10 will be the first bill in more than a century to feature the portrait of a woman."
The last women to appear on U.S. currency was Martha Washington, who was on the one dollar silver certificate from 1891-1896. Pocahontas was on the $20 national currency note from 1865-1869 but she was part of a group photo.
Advocates have been pushing to get a female face on a $20 bill by 2020 and the idea gained traction earlier this year thanks in part to Women On 20s, a grass-roots campaign advocating the redesign.
The group held two rounds of online voting to let the public choose from among 15 American women of historical significance. Abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who guided slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, received the most votes, 118,328, and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt came in second place with 111,227. Rosa Parks received 64,173 votes while Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, got 58,703 votes, the group said.
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On May 12, the group presented a petition to President Barack Obama informing him of the results of the election and encouraging him to instruct Lew to make the change.
However, Lew said plans for a redesigned $10 bill have been in the works for some time as the Treasury aimed to upgrade security features on the note. He called the timing of the announcement, in relation to the Women On 20s campaign, a "happy coincidence."
The Treasury Department is asking for the public to share ideas, symbols and design for the new $10 bill on social media using the hashtag #TheNew10 or by visiting thenew10.treasury.gov. Over the summer, Lew and other administration officials will conduct roundtables, town halls, and other meetings to gather input.
The current $10 bills featuring Alexander Hamilton will remain in circulation for years to come and Hamilton won't be completely replaced by the new note, Lew said. The nation's first Treasury Secretary will be featured on some of the new bills.
The $10 note was selected for redesign based on a number of factors and with guidance from the Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence (ACD) Steering Committee, an interagency group established to monitor and communicate counterfeit deterrence issues and dedicated to maintaining and ensuring the integrity of U.S. currency. In addition to featuring a woman, the new note will include a touch feature that increases accessibility for the visually impaired.
