Anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman, who could be set to be the first female to feature on a US banknote . An escaped slave who helped to free others from their captors could be set to become the first female face on a U.S. banknote. A campaign has been gathering pace to replace former president Andrew Jackson on $20 bills with that of a female for the first time in history. An online petition has now been set up with site visitors asked to vote for which female historical figure should feature on the bill. And it seems that illiterate black woman Harriet Tubman is leading the way to be nominated as the new face before the petition is formally handed over to President Barack Obama. The petition has been set up on the website womenon20s.org, which is calling for Jackson to be replaced due to his negative treatment of Native Americans. A 15-strong shortlist has been drawn up, which includes Tubman, who was born into slavery in 1822 in Maryland. In 1849 she escaped her owners, fleeing north and then subsequently made several missions to rescue friends and family, who remained enslaved, by using a network of safehouses known as the Underground Network. After the American Civil War she continued to be an advocate for education and joined early campaigns for women's equality and suffrage. Others on the list include Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat on a bus sparked the modern civil rights movement and Eleanor Roosevelt, a former first lady. The faces on American bank notes have remained the same since 1929, but President Obama has signalled he would be open to change. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks, left, and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who are also on the shortlist to appear on the $20 bill . Currently, the $20 bill features the face of seventh US president Andrew Jackson, who became much maligned due to this treatment of Native Americans . The campaign, is hoping that if it is successful, a note featuring a woman would go into circulation by 2020. Petition organiser Barbara Ortiz Howard told CBS: 'There are no women on the money and I thought gee this is a crazy omission.' The petition mirrors a similar campaign in the UK to get Jane Austen as the face of a £10 note after a public outcry that every banknote featured a man. The Bank of England governor Mark Carney unveiled the new design as a tribute to ‘one of the greatest writers in English literature’ which will appear from 2017, replacing naturalist Charles Darwin. A similar campaign in the UK will see a £10 note, pictured, with the face of author Jane Austen on it go into circulation in 2017 . The announcement was hailed as a ‘brilliant day for women’ by journalist Cristina Criado-Perez, who had led a high-profile campaign on social media to ensure a female face would remain on banknotes after the Bank dropped social reformer Elizabeth Fry from the £5 note in favour of Winston Churchill. But days later she began receiving a stream of abuse from 86 Twitter accounts. Arts college graduate Isabella Sorley, 23, and unemployed recluse John Nimmo, 25 were jailed after threatening to kill and rape Miss Criado-Perez for her campaign.
New campaign is calling for the first woman to be put on a U.S. banknote . Petition is asking who should replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill . So far anti-slavery campaigner Harriet Tubman is leading the vote . Other contenders on the list include Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt .