美国宣布20美元纸币将印上废奴主义者塔布曼头像

AS IT IS 2016-04-22 Harriet Tubman to Appear on $20 Bill 美国宣布20美元纸币将印上废奴主义者塔布曼头像

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The last time a woman appeared on U.S. paper money was during the 1890s. That woman was Martha Washington, the wife of America’s first president George Washington.  

But this week, the U.S. Treasury¹ announced that a woman will soon appear on the $20 bill. African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president. Tubman led hundreds of slaves to freedom through what is called the “underground railroad.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack² Lew confirmed Wednesday that Tubman will be the first African-American featured on U.S. money. Lew did not say when the new bill would be printed and used.

Lew originally announced his plan to put a woman on the $10 bill last June. But, many groups and people urged him to consider putting a woman on the $20, too. That led to the #womenon20s movement on social media.

Andrew Jackson was responsible for the Indian Removal Act of 1830. That started what was known as the Trail of Tears -- a forced migration³ during which thousands of Native Americans died.

Tubman grew up a slave in Maryland. She was born in 1822. Most historians believe she was taken from her parents and put to work when she was barely 6 years old.

As a young woman, she married John Tubman. She escaped to the north with the help of a white neighbor. Harriet Tubman returned to Maryland to free members of her family and other slaves. She made that trip about 20 times to lead more people to freedom.

On social media, people mostly reacted positively⁴ to the currency changes. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wrote on twitter: “I cannot think of an American hero more deserving of this honor than Harriet Tubman.”

But, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump⁵ did not like the removal of Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill. He suggested creating a new bill for Tubman to appear on. On Thursday, he told the Today Show. “Maybe we do the $2 bill or we do another bill...Yes, I think it’s pure political correctness.”

Tubman will not be the only woman pictured on U.S. paper money. The $10 bill will also be redesigned. The new design will be released in 2020. The first U.S. treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, will remain on the front. But the back of the bill will include members of the women's suffrage⁶ movement.

The back of the $5 bill will have an image of singer Marian Anderson and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Words in This Story

abolitionist - n. a person who wants to stop or end slavery

barely - adj. used to say that someone or something only has a specified⁷ small size, age, length, etc.

currency - n. the money that a country uses

political correctness - (expression) - agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people

suffrage - n. the right to vote in an election

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

4 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 suffrage   

n.投票，选举权，参政权

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• The voters gave their suffrage to him.投票人都投票选他。

7 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。