Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 41 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
Life Arts    H4'ed 5/3/15

A Woman's Place is on the Money

By       (Page 1 of 5 pages)   21 comments, 2 series
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Meryl Ann Butler
Become a Fan
  (81 fans)


(Image by Meryl Ann Butler for OpEdNews.com)   Details   DMCA

2020 is the centennial anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the legal right to vote. And it's time our legal tender showcased the image of a woman.

An historical woman has not yet graced our commonly used paper currency. There is a grassroots movement to commemorate this 2020 anniversary by putting a woman on the $20 bill. And you can participate.

There have been a few women on less-used coins, notably suffragist Susan B. Anthony on the dollar coin. Fewer than 800 million were minted, though, because they were often mistaken for quarters. Congress thought they could fix that problem by changing the color of the coin, so they minted a gold-colored dollar coin with Sacagawea, the Lewis and Clark expedition Shoshone Indian guide, on it. But only about 3 million were made by 2012, and you are not likely to see either of these dollar coins except in vending machines. For comparison, there are over six billion twenty-dollar bills in circulation.

Helen Keller appears on the back of the Alabama quarter, and the mythological Lady Liberty has made a few appearances on our currency.

And, okay, if you want to be technical, in 1886 and 1891, Martha Washington did appear on the front of an oversized $1 Silver Certificate. (She also appeared with George on the reverse of the 1896 note.)

But that's basically it.

And we might ask, like the kids in the video below, "Where are the girls on the money?"


(Image by Meryl Ann Butler for OpEdNews.com)   Details   DMCA

In America, women are underpaid, underrepresented in positions of power in the work force, and they are almost completely unrepresented on our money. It is known that iconic, archetypal images can direct the subconscious: could creating more balance in the images on our currency help create more balance in our economics?

Here's the lineup of the men on the money:

$1 George Washington (also on the quarter)

$2 Thomas Jefferson (also on the nickle)

$5 Abraham Lincoln (also on the penny)

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 1   Well Said 1   Supported 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Meryl Ann Butler Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

CEO Ridiculed for Raising Minimum Wage to $70K Has the Last Laugh

The Bizarre Theft of Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski's Miracle Cancer Cure

Mysterious Bayou Sinkhole Continues to Cave In: Radiation, Hydrocarbons Detected

Tips for Avoiding Coronavirus

Relentless Bayou Corne Sinkhole Nearly 30 Times Original Size (UPDATED with Cave-In Video)

Sex, Love, and Jesus: A Few Surprises in the Easter Basket

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend