A wax statue of Harriet Ross Tubman in Washington.

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Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP / SIPA

The new administration set up by Joe Biden has decided to take up a symbolic idea abandoned by the government of Donald Trump.

The Treasury will relaunch plans to include a portrait of black anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman on the $ 20 bills, the White House said Monday.

This project, initiated in 2016 by Barack Obama, is relaunched after the country has been crossed for nearly a year by a historic movement denouncing racism and police violence against colored minorities.

Born in 1822

“It is important that our banknotes, our money (…) reflect the history and diversity of our country and the image of Harriet Tubman adorning the new 20 dollar denomination clearly reflects them”, explained the door. word of the presidency, Jen Psaki.

The activist will become the first African-American personality to appear on a bank note in the United States.

Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) fled slavery and smuggled dozens of slaves to the northern United States and Canada before and during the Civil War, before participating in the struggle for the right to vote of women.

Her fight, within the secret escape network "Underground railroad", was the subject of a feature film in 2019. She was to replace in 2020 the populist president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), a very controversial character admired by Donald Trump.

Politically correct, according to Trump

But former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced in 2019 the postponement of the project until at least 2028, citing “security issues” concerning one of the most widely used cuts in the country.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump called Harriet Tubman's choice "purely political correct", suggesting that his portrait would look better on the $ 2 bill, a denomination that is no longer printed.

Andrew Jackson, who occupied the White House from 1829 to 1837, was considered the first "populist" president by Donald Trump, who had installed his portrait in the Oval Office.

This fiery general is known for his historic victory against the English in New Orleans (south) in 1815. But he also had the Amerindian tribes massively deported to the West and inland, an exodus nicknamed the "Trail. tears ”which killed thousands of people.

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