On the back of an American two dollar bill there is a picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If I'm not mistaken, the rest of the dollar bills all have pictures of buildings. Why was the two dollar bill so different?

ridgeguy

To commemorate the 1976 Bicentennial. Apr 14 03, 1:23 AM

MackieLynn

There is (supposedly) a black man on the back of the two dollar bill. He was president but there is not a lot of information to prove it. There were 7 other presidents before George Washington -- look up John Hanson. http://www.bigissueground.com/history/blair-blackuspresidents.shtml [link and slight edit -- Zb] May 21 08, 7:40 PM

McGruff

If you're saying John Hanson was a black man, that doesn't appear to be the case. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hanson There are two possible origins for this belief. The first is that Hanson's grandfather, another John Hanson, was an early English immigrant to Maryland; as was common at the time, he worked as an indentured servant on his arrival in the New World. In 1661, his first master, William Plumley, sold his contract to Edward Keene and recorded the contract with the court of Calvert County, Maryland; similar court records were also used to transfer title to land and slaves. But, in six years, the immigrant John had worked his way out of debt, and a few years afterwards had purchased his own small farm. There is no record that the grandfather was black, but if indentured servitude was confused with chattel slavery, it is easy to see where this belief would have appeared. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hanson_%28myths%29 I think we've covered the "presidents before Washington" debate before, and I've already strayed from the question. Here is some history (and interesting trivia) on the elusive two dollar bill, leading up to its re-issue in 1976: So on 3 November, 1975, Secretary of the Treasury William Simon announced that on 13 April, 1976, the anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birthday, the two-dollar bill would once again join the family of American currency. Because 1976 also happened to be the bicentennial of the birth of the United States, a special design was chosen. Jefferson was not dethroned in favour of Martin Luther King Jr or Susan B Anthony as some had suggested; however, Monticello was banished in favour of the famous John Trumbull painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A30652445 May 22 08, 10:23 AM

McGruff

More about "the black man" on the two dollar bill, which concludes it is not John Hanson at all, but Robert Morris. http://gtomessiah.com/gtomessiah_site/2dollarbill.html And pointing out the obvious, John Hanson did not sign the Declaration of Independence, so isn't likely to be included in the painting that the reverse of the two dollar bill was based on. Hanson signed the Articles of Confederation. http://www.eadshome.com/Namesofthesigners.htm http://www.adherents.com/people/ph/John_Hanson.html May 22 08, 10:41 AM

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On the back of an American two dollar bill there is a picture of the signing of the Constitution. If I'm not mistaken, the rest of the dollar bills like 1, 5, 10, etc. all have pictures of buildings. Why was the two dollar bill so different? Why is a dollar bill often referred to as a 'buck?' How thick is a dollar bill? Why was freemason symbology (pyramid and all-seeing eye) placed on the one dollar bill and why is it still there? Whose picture is on the million dollar bill?

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