Alexander Hamilton or Martin Luther King Jr.
By: Marley Poku-Kankam
Have you ever looked at your money? You use it all the time and you like it. Sometimes I find
myself getting Lincoln mixed up with Washington, its crazy. In particular have you looked at the ten
dollar bill? Alexander Hamilton is on the ten dollar bill but why not Martin Luther King Jr.? I would
say that Alexander Hamilton should stay on the ten dollar bill as well as putting Martin Luther King
Jr. on a different bill. They both deserve to be on bills for many reasons. They helped the United
States of America strive for the best. They also helped the U.S become what it is today. Alexander
Hamilton should stay on the ten dollar bill and Martin Luther king Jr. should be on the 25 dollar bill.
Alexander Hamilton was a member in George Washington’s cabinet. Alexander Hamilton was also
another founding father of the constitution with George Washington. Mr. Hamilton was also the
first secretary of treasury, so he was probably good with money. He was also the first person in
America to open a bank. Mr. Hamilton also was a face missed in the Revolutionary war. Mr. Hamilton
is a perfect example of a person who should be on a bill. He didn’t become president but he did a lot
to help expand and make his country better as a whole. If you put the pieces together you will see
that he was good with money and opened the first bank so why not put his face on a bill.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist. He was also a priest. He took after his father for
a while being a priest. To help Dr. King become better at treating people fairly and helping other
people understand that all men are created equal he took after Gandhi. Gandhi was a civil rights
activist as well. Dr. King helped many people with their unfair treatment because of their color. He
helped Rosa Parks. He also heeled many marches and things that told the whites that they did not
like the unfair treatment. The march on Washington and the bus boycott were two examples. Dr.
King also won the noble peace prize. We all know him best for his ‘’I Have a Dream’’ speech. Just like
Hamilton Dr. King was very important in society.
Both Dr. King and Hamilton together would make great team. They have many things in common to
be on money. They both were very responsible and held their position in America. They had many
great qualities. One quality was respect. Another quality would be helpful because they helped
America in all different ways. Today both of these men stand out in history. The kids today look up
to these men as role models. No one should think one of these men over the other.
If you take a look at your money very important people the on different bills. On the penny there is
Abraham Lincoln who was a president and helped end slavery. Abraham Lincoln is also on the five
dollar bill. Thomas Jefferson is on the nickel and two dollar bill and he was one of our founding
fathers. On the dime there is President Franklin Roosevelt. George Washington is on the dollar and
on the quarter and he was a president and a general in the Revolutionary war. Washington was aloes
our founding father. President John F. Kennedy is on the half dollar. Then we have President Ulises
S. Grant who was a general in the civil war and is on the fifty dollar bill. Then there was Ben
Franklin on the One-Hundred dollar bill and he was a famous inventor. Then there was Hamilton on
the ten dollar bill. Dr. King does not have to be a president to go on a bill.
So, after my explanation I think that they should keep Alexander Hamilton on the ten dollar bill
and make another bill with Dr. King’s face on it. Reason being, both Dr. King and Hamilton are very
important in American history. Dr. King was a non-violent civil rights activist. Hamilton was one of
our founding fathers. So to answer the question in the first paragraph Alexander Hamilton should
stay on the ten dollar bill and Martin Luther King Jr. should be on a different bill.
Citations
"Alexander Hamilton." www.school.eb.com. 2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. , Web. 27 Feb.
2012. <http://www.school.eb.com/comptons/article9274746?query=alexander%20hamilton&ct=null>.
"Martin Luther king Jr.." www.nobelprize.org. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html>.
"Martin Luther King Jr.." www.school.eb.com. 2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. , Web. 27
Feb. 2012. <http://www.school.eb.com/comptons/article9275278?query=martin%20luther%20king%20jr.&ct=>.
Ronemus, Andrew. "Alexander Hamilton." www.ushistory.org. Independance hall association, 4
July 1995. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/brandywine/special/art08.htm>.
Marley poku-kankam