Why was Andrew Jackson selected to be on the $20 bill when during his
presidency he was so opposed to the concept of centralized banking and
soft currency?  Even on his grave it proudly states, "I killed the
bank."  I am
curious if the Federal Reserve is somehow mocking his stance.

[ http://www.moneyfactory.com/document.cfm/18/118 ]

The Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for the selection of the
designs, including the portraits, which appear on paper currency. The
July 11, 1862 Act of Congress provided:

"That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and is hereby authorized, in
case he shall think it expedient to procure said notes, or any part
thereof, to be engraved, printed, and executed, in such form as he
shall prescribe, at the Treasury Department in Washington, and under
his direction; and he is hereby empowered to purchase and provide all
machinery and materials, and to employ such persons and appoint such
officers as may be necessary for this purpose."

...

Treasury Department records do not reveal the reason that portraits of
these particular statesmen were chosen in preference to those of other
persons of equal importance and prominence.

Additionally, although perhaps somewhat
biased considering the body of text, 
this website:
[ http://www.americanindian.ucr.edu/discussions/jackson/history.html ]
States:
"The Treasury Department records do not reveal the reasons Andrew
Jackson?s image was chosen to appear on one of the standardized
bills."

-AI

While it appears that no definite answer exists, that has not
prevented several online sources from speculating on the topic:

<a href="http://boards.historychannel.com/profile.jspa?userID=300013940">Rod
7</a> at http://boards.historychannel.com agrees with the opinion that
he was put on the twenty-dollar bill with the intent to mock him.

Quote:
"Jackson did some bad things to the Indians yes, but he was a true
patriot. He saved the country from a central bank and fiat money,
which was his biggest accomplishment. Also, he held the British back
from their meddling in american politics.

It's sad that later presidents sucummed to the International Monetary
elites and Central Bank(Federal Reserve). That's why the supporters of
the central bank put Jackson's face on the 20 dollar bill, as a cruel
joke."
URL: http://boards.historychannel.com/thread.jspa?threadID=116317&tstart=0&start=-1

<a href="mailto:domayeau@aol.com">papertiger</a> of
http://www.e-nough.hmdnsgroup.com doesn't provide a clear contention
on the matter, but explores the idea nevertheless.

Quote:
"I wondered who was the first Democrat president and I looked at his
deeds. Andrew Jackson You know why Andrew Jackson is on the twenty
dollar bill but not on Mount Rushmore? Look up Free Banking Era - 35
years when the USA didn't make currency, transaction was left up to
barter. Andy sent us back to the prehistoric days economicly.
Look up trail of tears. An excerpt:

    Hollywood has left the impression that the great Indian wars came
in the Old West during the late 1800's, a period that many think of
simplistically as the "cowboy and Indian" days. But in fact that was a
"mopping up" effort. By that time the Indians were nearly finished,
their subjugation complete, their numbers decimated. The killing,
enslavement, and land theft had begun with the arrival of the
Europeans. But it may have reached its nadir when it became federal
policy under President (Andrew) Jackson."
URL: http://www.e-nough.hmdnsgroup.com/archives/000632.html

Michael Natale on GammaBlaBlog goes on to say:
"where I also learned that: "Some Cherokees would rather carry two
ten-dollar bills or twenty one-dollar bills than carry a single
twenty-dollar bill. Why? Because the US has chosen to commemerate
Jackson's presidency by putting his face on the twenty dollar bill."
URL: http://www.wrybread.com/gammablablog/archives/8-02archives.shtml

Finally, James B. Jordan of <a
href="http://www.biblicalhorizons.com">Biblical Horizons.com</a> sez:
"Why has this mixed civilization lasted so long and been so
impressive? Because of the admixture of Christendom in it. The
intermarriage of Christianity and Greco-Roman paganism has indeed
produced "mighty God-like men, men of glory," but many of these have
been great monsters. The vicious pharisee Andrew Jackson still adorns
the American 20 dollar bill.

To be sure, there have been a few Godly "mighty men" in our history,
but very few. With the connivance of the Eastern and Roman Catholic
churches, and too often with the connivance of Protestants as well,
scores of wicked monarchs and brutal warriors have oppressed the poor
for centuries."
URL: http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/ob/ob039.htm

ANALYSIS:

Rod 7 seems to take what he believes for granted: he provides a little
historical background, but doesn't offer any rational support to his
argument that Jackson's appearance on the $20 is a "cruel joke" by the
"supporters of the central bank."

papertiger loosely relates this phenomenon to the Free Banking Era and
the return to barter under Jackson, but doesn't bother to explain the
relationship.  He follows his free banking statement with a seemingly
irrelevant diatribe about the brutality of early U.S., specifically
Jacksonian, treatment of Native Americans.

Mr. Natale's opinion on the matter is short and sweet, at least. 
According to him, President Jackson is on the $20 simply to
commemorate his presidency.

Jordan is the only one who really lent any kind of rational arguement
to his cause.  Unfortunately, he also seems to be the nut in the
group.  He claims that the influence of Paganism on Western
civilization has led to the rise to greatness of "great monsters" such
as Jackson, which we are led to believe is why he remains on the $20.



So, none of this information seems at all reliable or even completely
coherent.  In case you were interested in some of the hypotheses going
around out there, though, here they are.  HTH