Lincoln to Langston

We hereby petition those present in these United States to change the image appearing on the face-side of the five dollar paper note passed as legal tender for all debts, public and private. The current image, being that of Abraham Lincoln, insufficiently represents Black suffrage. Let it be known by all citizens, that the honorable Abraham Lincoln was inconsistent in his support of the rights and privileges granted to all people by the Declaration of Independence. He has been accredited as the Great Emancipator when the facts fail to support this assertion.

We hereby nominate John Mercer Langston as a replacement image, which justly represents the struggle that the Black, Native American, and female citizens of our nation faced in the 19th century. A summary of his highlights and accomplishments are listed below:

~Mr. Langston was born in 1829 of mixed ancestry. His mother was half Black, half Native-American and his father was White.

~Both parents died in 1834 when John was five years old.

~At age fourteen John enrolled in the Preparatory Department at Oberlin College, where he received a bachelors degree. He then proceeded to enroll in their Theology graduate program, which he received his masters degree in.

~In 1848, at the will of Frederick Douglas, he spoke critically of those who refused to help runaway slaves. By this time he was fully engaged in the black rights movement.

~He became the first black lawyer in Ohio in 1854, eventually establishing his own law practice as well as being elected as the town clerk.

~John organized anti-slavery organizations at different political levels.

~He assisted in the Underground Railroad.

~Some of Mr. Langstons public speeches including a cry for social reform, including rights for women.

~During the 1860s he became a pillar of the community, serving on the National Equal Rights League, Board of Education, city councilman, and the suffrage campaigns in Ohio, Kansas, and Missouri.

~Also in the 1860s he found the law department at Howard University in Washington.

~Mr. Langston became the first Black congressman in the state of Virginia in 1888.

It is clear that Mr. Langston preferred to concentrate his energies in a positive direction for social equality, rather than for political gain. He is clearly a better selection to represent our country and the fight for freedom as represented on the face of the five-dollar bill. I humbly request your support on this matter.