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Should we put Martin Luther King Jr. on our currency?

Should we put Martin Luther King Jr. on our currency?


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jamesrage

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Should we put Martin Luther King Jr. on our currency?


Yes but only for regular circulated coins and or paper currency.

Yes but only for commemorative or special edition coins and or paper currency.

Both of the above

No



I say yes but for regular circulated coins or paper currency.Because I think it should be something that regular people will use not something that only collectors will have their hands on. I think maybe a dime or twenty dollar bill.
 
Last edited:
Should we put Martin Luther King Jr. on our currency?


Yes but only for regular circulated coins and or paper currency.

Yes but only for commemorative or special edition coins and or paper currency.

Both of the above

No



I say yes but for regular circulated coins or paper currency.Because I think it should be something that regular people will use not something that only collectors will have their hands on. I think maybe a dime or twenty dollar bill.
I said both originally, but now that I think about it I wouldn't really like the idea of people making money off his history with commemorative currency so I'm going with #1. I would be very happy to see MLK on the twenty, or any paper money for that matter.
 
Should we put Martin Luther King Jr. on our currency?


Yes but only for regular circulated coins and or paper currency.

Yes but only for commemorative or special edition coins and or paper currency.

Both of the above

No



I say yes but for regular circulated coins or paper currency.Because I think it should be something that regular people will use not something that only collectors will have their hands on. I think maybe a dime or twenty dollar bill.

Portraits on paper currency has been historically reserved for Past Presidents.

I think it would be great to have him on a coin. Coins have had many different important national treasures and people.
 
Portraits on paper currency has been historically reserved for Past Presidents.

I think it would be great to have him on a coin. Coins have had many different important national treasures and people.

I agree.

Besides, we need some new coins: A $1 that doesn't look like a quarter, and a $5 coin would be a good idea, and phase out the paper dollar and five spot. Lets put Martin Luther King on the new $5 coin, and make it about the size of the old $1 coin that was once worth about $15 in today's money.
 
I agree.

Besides, we need some new coins: A $1 that doesn't look like a quarter, and a $5 coin would be a good idea, and phase out the paper dollar and five spot. Lets put Martin Luther King on the new $5 coin, and make it about the size of the old $1 coin that was once worth about $15 in today's money.

I could go for that. Maybe not the $5 bill being eliminated, but getting a real $1 coin again and eliminating the $1 bill. Not the crazy edged crap they did before and like you said, sound be mistaken for a quarter. I lost so many of them in drink machines.

Of course, someone here will gripe about the cost of coining versus printing a bill.
 
Oh hell no. The man is mainly known for 3 things to those who look at his life objectively. His Hitleresque speeches being yelled into a mic at brain dead followers. Plagiarizing his doctoral dissertation. And getting shot.
 
The question is posed in such a way where the only options are to be in support of placing MLK on our currency or to say "No".
There should have been an option of "I would not oppose".

Just because I am unwilling to support the idea, does not mean I would oppose it.
 
He is one of the most celebrated Americans in our history. At some point it will happen.
 
Should we put Martin Luther King Jr. on our currency?


Yes but only for regular circulated coins and or paper currency.

Yes but only for commemorative or special edition coins and or paper currency.

Both of the above

No



I say yes but for regular circulated coins or paper currency.Because I think it should be something that regular people will use not something that only collectors will have their hands on. I think maybe a dime or twenty dollar bill.

Yes, I think he deserves to be on something. I'd guess a coin is more likely than a bill. They do a lot of different coin designs (the state quarters, the lewis and clark nickels, the commemorative Lincoln pennies, the upcoming national park quarters, etc.). I've never heard of them changing the design of a bill for general circulation (or at least not changing who and what is on it).
 
If a black president didn't ease race relations a black on currency won't either.

:shrug: I don't think anyone is expecting it to do so - this is about the man, not the color of his skin.


That being said, MLK Jr probably single-handedly kept America from seeing a low-level race war, introduced the peaceful protest into the political mainstream, and held this country to account for its' founding principles, helping us to right deep and bitter injustice with a minimum of bloodshed. Bills are generally for Presidents, but if any non-president deserves a currency, he does.
 
I agree.

Besides, we need some new coins: A $1 that doesn't look like a quarter, and a $5 coin would be a good idea, and phase out the paper dollar and five spot. Lets put Martin Luther King on the new $5 coin, and make it about the size of the old $1 coin that was once worth about $15 in today's money.

Mint a bigger $1.00 coin - but get rid of the $1.00 bill? What in the hell for? I would never use a $1.00 coin, but do use $1.00 bills *all the time* - they're not like the penny where we could possibly do without.

But I'm fine with sticking him on a commemorative coin. I'm sort of surprised we have done this yet.
 
:shrug: I don't think anyone is expecting it to do so - this is about the man, not the color of his skin.


That being said, MLK Jr probably single-handedly kept America from seeing a low-level race war, introduced the peaceful protest into the political mainstream, and held this country to account for its' founding principles, helping us to right deep and bitter injustice with a minimum of bloodshed. Bills are generally for Presidents, but if any non-president deserves a currency, he does.

I think the man is over rated myself and if he hadn't been assassinated he would have been more known for multiple affairs than "saving America". Having said that, he was a good spokesman for black America in those days but I don't think that makes him coin worthy, stamp maybe though.
 
I think the man is over rated myself and if he hadn't been assassinated he would have been more known for multiple affairs than "saving America". Having said that, he was a good spokesman for black America in those days but I don't think that makes him coin worthy, stamp maybe though.

While I agree he was a flawed individual - and cheating on your wife is a deep flaw - I sincerely doubt that is what he would be known for. Is his contemporary JFK known more for being president or having affairs? How about Jesse Jackson? Ole Bennie Franklin's affairs didn't keep him off the $100. I would say he's better than a spokesman for blacks in America - he's a good spokesman for just plain old America.
 
People have been using his name for money for decades, why not have him on currency?
 
While I agree he was a flawed individual - and cheating on your wife is a deep flaw - I sincerely doubt that is what he would be known for. Is his contemporary JFK known more for being president or having affairs? How about Jesse Jackson? Ole Bennie Franklin's affairs didn't keep him off the $100. I would say he's better than a spokesman for blacks in America - he's a good spokesman for just plain old America.

Same thing with JFK, if he hadn't been assassinated he'd just be another joke like Clinton and as for Jesse, his affairs have pretty much destroyed his power. Hadn't heard about the Franklin thing though, interesting, TY.
 
Same thing with JFK, if he hadn't been assassinated he'd just be another joke like Clinton and as for Jesse, his affairs have pretty much destroyed his power. Hadn't heard about the Franklin thing though, interesting, TY.

Eisenhower had a mistress in Europe.

Rich and powerful men who don't have affairs (when models and actresses are lining up to jump into bed with them) are extremely rare.
 
Yeah he deserves it, so I'd approve.
 
Same thing with JFK, if he hadn't been assassinated he'd just be another joke like Clinton and as for Jesse, his affairs have pretty much destroyed his power. Hadn't heard about the Franklin thing though, interesting, TY.

It would be easier to list the historical figures who didn't sleep around.
 
Mint a bigger $1.00 coin - but get rid of the $1.00 bill? What in the hell for? I would never use a $1.00 coin, but do use $1.00 bills *all the time* - they're not like the penny where we could possibly do without.

But I'm fine with sticking him on a commemorative coin. I'm sort of surprised we have done this yet.

The coin would last a lot longer than the bill, and would be easier to put into vending machines.

Come to think of it, since the dollar is worth less than the dime used to be, why not have a $1 coin the size of a dime, phase out the nickel, penny, and quarter, have a $5 and maybe a $2.50 coin to replace the quarter, which is now worth about 2.5 cents anyway. The $10 bill would then be the lowest denomination of folding money, and worth what the dollar used to be worth.

Then we could put MLK's picture on the $5 coin, and mine on the $1 coin for having thought of such a logical new system.:mrgreen:
 
Should we put Martin Luther King Jr. on our currency?


Yes but only for regular circulated coins and or paper currency.

Yes but only for commemorative or special edition coins and or paper currency.

Both of the above

No



I say yes but for regular circulated coins or paper currency.Because I think it should be something that regular people will use not something that only collectors will have their hands on. I think maybe a dime or twenty dollar bill.
If we're going to put a new mug on our currency, let's create another bill or coin.
 
The coin would last a lot longer than the bill, and would be easier to put into vending machines.

Come to think of it, since the dollar is worth less than the dime used to be, why not have a $1 coin the size of a dime, phase out the nickel, penny, and quarter, have a $5 and maybe a $2.50 coin to replace the quarter, which is now worth about 2.5 cents anyway. The $10 bill would then be the lowest denomination of folding money, and worth what the dollar used to be worth.

Then we could put MLK's picture on the $5 coin, and mine on the $1 coin for having thought of such a logical new system.:mrgreen:

Yeah that would be rather inconvenient. I don't want to start rummaging around my purse for coins so I can pay someone $22. Paper money is easy to get, and it stays where it's at.
 
Yeah that would be rather inconvenient. I don't want to start rummaging around my purse for coins so I can pay someone $22. Paper money is easy to get, and it stays where it's at.

You'd get used to it. Just use a coin purse.
I used to keep a pocket full of coins that could actually be used to buy something. Now, I just dump them on the dresser, and then, when that soda costs $1.01, I get a bunch of worthless coins back in change, and dump them on the dresser, too. Now, that's inconvenient.
 
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