11) Samuel Adams
Pros: While the American Revolution certainly needed thinkers like Jefferson and Franklin to give legitimacy to the rebellion, it also needed firebrands like Sam Adams (and Washington) who weren’t afraid to get a bit messy. As the leader of the Sons of Liberty gang, Adams was the match that lit the powder keg of colonial Boston and started the crusade that would lead to the Declaration of Independence.
Cons: Wasted all that tea. Mediocre namesake beer that popularized the microbrew revolution, for better or worse.
