Famous American Women Who Deserve Their Faces On Money
- Photo:
- Harvey B. Lindsley
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) was born into slavery, from which she escaped. Eventually, she became a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad - a system developed by a secret group of free blacks and sympathetic whites to help enslaved people get to free northern states.
She was also a scout and a spy during the American Civil War, helping the Union Army liberate hundreds of slaves.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
Clara Barton (1821-1912) began tending to the needy and wounded during the Civil War. She later became the founder and first president of the American Red Cross.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States. She broke the mold of a traditional first lady by being outspoken about causes close to her heart, including civil rights and women's right to work.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Ebony Magazine
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
4Rosa Parks
In 1955, Rosa Parks (1913-2005) refused to give up her seat to a white person on a crowded bus in Montgomery, Alabama, thus setting in motion the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a cornerstone of the civil rights movement. She continued to be a strong advocate for human rights issues.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) was one of the most famous female suffragists in the country. Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she founded the American Equal Rights Association and, later, the American Woman Suffrage Association. She also fought on behalf anti-slavery groups.
She's already got her face on dollar coins, but it's about time we see her on some actual bills!
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Smithsonian Institution
- Flickr
- No known copyright restrictions
6Ruby Hirose
Ruby Sakae Hirose (1904-1960) was an American biochemist and bacteriologist whose groundbreaking research helped create a vaccine for polio. In 1940, she was one of 10 women recognized by the American Chemical Society for her contributions. During WWII, her family was sent to internment camps, though she escaped internment because she was living in Ohio at the time.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) was an African-American civil rights leader whose work was varied and wide-ranging, though she was particularly well-known for her skills as an investigative journalist and editor. She often documented lynchings in the United States. Wells was also one of the founders of the NAACP.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- National Library of Medicine
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) was the first American woman to receive a medical degree. She attended Geneva College in New York after being rejected by all the major medical schools in the nation because of her gender.
She went on to found a women’s medical college to train other women physicians.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- United States Library of Congress
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
A childhood disease left Helen Keller (1880-1968) deaf and blind. As a result of her teacher Anne Sullivan's hard work in helping Keller learn to communicate, Keller went on to become an expert author, lecturer, and teacher. She often spoke on behalf of others with similar disabilities.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Alan C. Heison/Shutterstock
Sally Ride (1951-2012) was the first American woman in space. At the time, she was also the youngest American astronaut ever to orbit Earth.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Shutterstock
Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) was an actress during MGM's "Golden Age." She was also among the 20th century's most important inventors, coming up with an improved traffic stoplight. Along with co-inventor George Antheil, she devised a "Secret Communications System" that was used to help combat the Germans during WWII.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
Nellie Bly (1864-1922) was the pen name of writer, inventor, and journalist Elizabeth Cochran Seaman. One of her most famous works was Ten Days in A Mad-House, in which Bly went undercover at the Women's Lunatic Asylum to document allegations of neglect. Her investigative research was groundbreaking, leading to hospital and patient care reform.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She's credited with opening the skies to other female pilots. Her plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 while she was attempting to become the first person to fly around the equator.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
14Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) was an American suffragist and abolitionist who helped launch the women's rights movement in the United States. She worked closely with Susan B. Anthony and advocated for many women's causes beyond the right to vote, including access to education and divorce.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Carl Van Vechten
- Wikimedia Commons
- No known copyright restrictions
15Mary McLeod Bethune
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) was an educator dedicated to providing better access to education for African Americans. She founded a private school for African-American girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1904.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- The Visibility Project
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
In 1955, when Claudette Colvin (b. 1939) was 15, she refused to move and give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white person. This was nine months before Rosa Parks mounted a similar protest.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927) ran for president before women could actually even vote! She was a member of the Equal Rights Party that supported labor rights, women's rights, and social welfare.
She was also an advocate of free love, meaning the freedom to marry, divorce, and bear children without government interference.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Clinton Library
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. She was active in the civil rights movement and worked along Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In 1993 she recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
19Alice Paul
Alice Paul (1885-1977) was an American suffragist and women's rights activist. She organized the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession, during which roughly 5,000-10,000 protestors marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, campaigning for women's right to vote. The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits voter discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified in 1919, thanks in no small part to Paul's work.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
20Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson (1907-1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist. She was an early advocate of the environmental movement, which she documented in her book Silent Spring.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Bart Sherkow/Shutterstock
21Betty Ford
Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Ford (1918-2011) was first lady of the United States and wife of the 38th president, Gerald Ford. As first lady, she was active in social policy and gained fame as one of the most candid first ladies in history, speaking out about feminism, gun control, and abortion.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Library of Congress
- Flickr Commons
- No known copyright restrictions
Billie Holiday (1915-1959) was an American jazz singer. Often called the “First Lady of the Blues,” Holiday is considered by many to be the greatest and most expressive jazz singer of all time.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Everett Historical/Shutterstock
Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) was a novelist who wrote about American and Asian culture, including in her literary masterpiece, The Good Earth. She was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Fred Palumbo
- Wikimedia Commons
- No known copyright restrictions
Betty Friedan (1921-2006) was an American social activist and leading feminist figure of the 1960s. She wrote the best-selling book The Feminine Mystique. She also campaigned for an extension of female rights and the end of sexual discrimination.
Does she deserve her own bill?- Photo:
