$10 Bill - Did Hamilton save Alexander?

$10 Bill depicting founding father Alexander Hamilton.

In 1861 the ten dollar bill began printing in the Unites States. The bill went through many alterations before setteling on the design that we are fmailiar with today. It actually started with a photo of Abraham Lincoln and then continued through a series of transitions until in 1929 it was deemed that all ten dollar bills should have an identical photo of Alexander Hamilton on them.

Although the borders and colors changed minutely thoughout the years Alexander Hamilton's image alongside that of the U.S. Treasury remained the focus of the currency. it wasn't until 2015 that the U.S. Treasury announced that they would be removing Hamilton from the ten dollar bill in favor of an influential American woman. 

Although few wanted to complain about the Treasury's strides toward inclusivity, some people seemed adimant about the preserving of Alexander Hamilton on the ten dollar bill. After the success of Hamilton the musical interest in teh Trteasury's decision skyrocketed. Suddenly, people became very interested in finding a solution that would allow a female to replace a male face on U.S. currency, while preserving the memory of the now beloved Alexander Hamilton. 

Suddenly the public had shifted their focus to the very problematic Andrew Jackson. Without the success of Hamilton it is easy to believe that the public would not have fought for his preservation. It is amazing what people will fight for when they feel like they know a person. It is through the memorialization of Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton the Musical that saved him from extinction within the U.S. currency system. 

The very abolition from the U.S. currency infers that Hamilton himself no longer has the priveledge of interacting with American's during everyday life. It is through his memorialization in currency that the public is able to question his image as well as connect him to the U.S. treasury. Hamilton allowed Alexander to be remembered in more ways than one, because it made people care.