Sometimes I remember crazy stuff that's completely worthless at times, like an old Fresh Prince of Bel Air episode when Will was settling an argument with Jazz and Tyriq.
- Jazz: (to Will, about Tyriq) What's he doing here?
- Tyriq: (to Will, about Jazz) No, what's he doing here?
- Will: Now, y'all not still mad about that watch thing.
- Tyriq: He sold me a fake Rolex.
- Jazz: He paid with a fake $20.
- Will: [to Tyriq] Now, first of all. You should have known it was fake when you saw that the warranty was only for two hours. [to Jazz] And you should have known the Jackson on the $20 ain't Jermaine.
- Jazz: They all look the same to me.
That episode was from 1992. Fast forward to 2016, and it was just announced today that Harriet Tubman will take over the face of the $20 bill from Andrew Jackson. On the face of this, no big deal. Most people do not know what Andrew Jackson did, why he's on any bills, or even care. Maybe, people don't even know that he was the 7th President of the United States. Either way, this post really isn't about Tubman, or the $20 bill now or in the future. It's about the fight behind this announcement. The symbolic and ideological fight that was the replacement of Hamilton on the face of the $10 bill or Jackson on the face of the $20 bill.
Symbolically, Hamilton and Jackson were at polar opposites of banking and even the political spectrum, not unlike the Republicans and Democrats seem to be today. However, back in the early years of our country, the party system was a little different, so some history on the men and their parties.
Andrew Jackson helped solidify and create unity for what became the current Democratic party, and the main opposition party to the Whigs (which eventually disbanded and turned into the Republican Party). The Democratic Party of that day however had some distinct differences compared to today's Democratic Party. Back then, Jackson was morally opposed to a large central government, national banks and banking and fought for individual liberty, freedom, the Agrarian Society, Manifest Destiny, and was a devout supporter of the Republican government system created during the Revolutionary War. He followed Thomas Jefferson in much of his ideology. The people who formed the Democratic Party of that day supported these positions with Jackson, and was even opposed to educational reform for a public school system as they restricted individual liberty of parental responsibility and undermined freedom of religion by replacing church schools. (Which in comparison to today would be a laughable scenario to see a Democrat who was opposed to a Public Educational School System and a large central government that couldn't dictate laws to the states).
Alexander Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, the founder of the Federalist Party, and the founder of the National Banking System. The Federalist Party was founded around businessmen and bankers who supported Hamilton on his fiscal and banking policies. The party wanted a strong central and nationalistic government, that was fiscally sound, who had friendly relationships with Great Britain, opposed the French Revolution, and supported "Implied Powers" (from which the Federal Government was given the right and power to tax and spend money for the "General Welfare" of the United States). The main opposition party was the Democratic-Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson who denounced these policies, especially the National Banking System, "Implied Powers" and a friendly relationship w/ Great Britain through the Jay Treaty.
The Democratic-Republican party broke up by 1824 and you can see partially how Andrew Jackson helped create the support around the Democratic Party from the shared ideologies of Thomas Jefferson's party. Meanwhile, the National Republicans/Whigs formed around the ideologies of the Federalists, Hamilton, banking and business interests.
My....how things have changed in 200 years. While you will occasionally see the Bernie Sanders' of the world lamenting about big business, big banks, and the like on the Democratic side, or the Ron or Rand Paul's doing the same on the Republican side, the majority of politicians are in line with the Federalists, Hamilton and big banking/business interests. The fighters for individual liberties, freedoms, and limited government are even fewer and further between, although some have come out of the woodwork as the Libertarians and Tea Party Movement have gained in popularity.
So here now in 2016 we have this battle playing out again, only in the form of who would be replaced on the face of currency bill. I haven't read anything on the reasoning being espoused by the mainstream media, but just knowing a little history and doing minimal research to paint the picture that could be more thoroughly detailed on your own, this is what I see this as....
An IDEOLOGICAL battle....
In the one corner, you have Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill. The man who created the National Banking System, and near personally formed the ideological and physical ties that bound big business, with banking, with the power of a large government. Who collectively could tax and spend money at will for all of the "general welfare" of the United States' interests, and pay that money to those same banking and business interests that support it.
vs.
The opposition corner with Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. The man who fought and actually ended the National Banking System and brought the US out of debt the only time in the history of the country, fought for limited government, fought against the politically powerful elite and monied business interests that he thought could (and would if looking at today) eventually destroy the Republican government, and fought for the ordinary citizen, the farmer, the urban worker and the immigrant who had no clout or means to fight against the political and monied elite except through the government.
I think we've all seen how this battle plays out throughout all of history. It is no wonder this has played out symbolically again.
So whatever you read or hear on radio, television, news sources, etc about the reasoning of why Hamilton was chosen over Jackson...remember some of the history of each man and what these two people really fought for in their lifetimes, as well as who benefited directly from their efforts.
