In the year 2014, former President Barack Obama mentioned the idea of placing Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, inspired by a letter from a girl in Massachusetts. Ten years later, the United States Mint, the Department of the Treasury’s bureau for producing U.S. coins, celebrated the American abolitionist, Harriet Tubman by including her portrait in three coins. These tiny spectacles are each their own universes of thought contributing to describing Tubman’s life.
The $1 silver coins depict when Tubman was the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, where she rescued an estimated number of 70 enslaved people. These coins signify the bravery she showcased during her life. The half-dollar coins represent Tubman as both a Union nurse and a spy during the Civil War. These coins are a tribute to Tubman’s compassion and determination. Finally, the $5 gold coins are engraved with an illustration of Tubman looking towards the future, symbolizing freedom, community, and equality. The gold coin’s message is the perfect finale to both the series of Tubman-minted coins and appreciation of her life’s work. Every coin represents a point in the abolitionist hero’s life, each a stepping stone to Tubman’s accomplishments. The coins are intended to be limited edition coins, and therefore are not for general circulation. However, they are still legal to use the coins in the United States.
There are several reasons why Tubman is being commemorated. Tubman was known as the “Moses of her people,” responsible for rescuing a numerous number of enslaved people. Once an enslaved person herself, by the age of twelve, she started resisting the abusive actions that came along with slavery. While helping an enslaved man escape, she got caught by her owner, earning a hit on the head that plagued her forever. Despite the popular legend, Harriet Tubman didn’t make the Underground Railroad herself. However, during a ten-year span, she made several trips to the South and helped dozens of people escape the harsh realities and conditions of slavery. Tubman used a complex system of escape routes and safe houses guarded by other abolitionists. During the Civil War in 1861, Tubman aided in various fields such as partaking in the role of a soldier, a nurse, and a spy. Her knowledge of various hidden routes were helpful in her work during the Civil War. Unfortunately, Tubman’s life came to an end when pneumonia took her life on March 10, 1913. Many still remember and recognize her heroic deeds that came to light when many needed help.
Through her honorable actions, many were able to escape their lives living in the dark and were able to step into the light, inspiring many others to do the same. Tubman is still remembered nowadays as the activist, the nurse, the spy, the warrior, and the hero. Her actions from over 100 years ago still influence the world we live in today, the perfect example of how one’s actions can change the world.
The coins, an outcome of the 2024 Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program, recognize Tubman’s bicentennial birthday and her work on winning the freedom she once lost. The pre-order prices of the limited edition Tubman coins range from $49 to $836.25 according to the U.S. Mint, depending on the value and number of the coins. Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., a non-profit organization, will be receiving much of the profit from the sales of the Tubman coins. The U.S. Mint explained its motive in releasing coins of Tubman’s portrait in a press release. “Every coin produced by the United States Mint helps to tell a story that teaches us about America’s history or connects us to a special memory,” the Director of the U.S. Mint, Ventris C. Gibson said, according to CNN News. “At the Mint, we like to say that coins are miniature canvases of art, and the Harriet Tubman coins are truly stunning works of art.” True to its word, the U.S. Mint certainly succeeded in inspiring others to acknowledge the life of Tubman through its production of the new coins.
