Many people have written me, or left comments across many of my videos,
to ask or tell me about the black man on the back of the $2 bill.
Some, like this viewer named THE Resistance, insist that the man is John Hanson, supposedly
our first president. And in a 2015 Facebook post that recently resurfaced and went viral,
the claim is made more directly. As the producer and director of a documentary about $2 bills - not
to mention the creator of all content on this channel - it's time to finally weigh in. First
of all, the man depicted is NOT John Hanson, and he certainly isn't black, despite how it
looks. According to a government-produced key of all the figures in John Trumbull's painting,
"Declaration of Independence," which is the basis for the design on the back of the $2 bill,
the man is Robert Morris. Morris was a founding father of the United States, someone who served
in the Pennsylvania legislature and the United States Senate. He was also a member of the Second
Continental Congress, which is the group depicted in the painting. He's a signer of the Declaration
of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Along with
Alexander Hamilton, he is considered one of the founders of the United States financial system.
And as you can see, he was white. So why does he look black on the back of the $2 bill? Well, let's
remember that currency is printed off engraved sheets. This very detailed painting of John
Trumbull's, where the figure in question is indeed a white man, had to essentially be carved into an
engraving plate. These plates are the basis for a printing process called intaglio printing.
The Director of Manufacturing at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing can explain this better
than I can. Intaglio printing is very deep fine lined engraving, and it's where the ink actually
recesses into the fine line engraving, and then the engraved image is then pushed onto the paper
and hence the beautiful engraving and printing that we have here on this sheet. It's likely
that the face of Robert Morris was engraved more deeply than the other men, resulting in a darker
face upon printing. That's pretty much it - same thing I've explained in my responses to YouTubers'
comments; no conspiracy, and no black president. Just the way the bill came off the printing press.
But i can see why many people who think the man is black also think it's John Hanson. They're simply
confusing facts about two men with the same name. There was a black John Hanson, but he never served
in office in the United States. He was a slave from the state of Maryland who migrated to West
Africa in 1827 and became a politician there. There was also a white John Hanson, who was the
first person to hold an office known officially as "President of the United States in Congress
Assembled." This predates the election of George Washington by over 7 years, but it misconstrues
the modern meaning of the word 'president.' Hanson did not hold an executive position - he
was merely the leader of a group granted some basic powers under the Articles of Confederation.
When those Articles were replaced by the Constitution in March, 1789, we had the
foundation of our Federal government, led by George Washington. So yes, the white John Hanson
did have a title as the first president, and the black John Hanson was a prominent Senator - albeit
in West Africa. Combine that with a printing blotch on the back of the $2 bill, and it's
easy to see why so many people are convinced that there is a black man on the back of the $2 bill
and he was our first president. Sorry to say, but neither is true. If you still don't believe me,
you can find the same information in an article on Politifact - a link to which is included in this
video's description. And if you're interested in the front of the $2 bill, and you want to know why
Thomas Jefferson is the guy depicted there, you can watch this video next. Thanks for tuning in.