28. John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825. In the 1997 Steven Spielberg movie Amistad, John Quincy Adams is arguing for the freedom of African refugees. They portray him to be anti-slavery, and that he fought hard for their freedom. In reality, the 1839 slave ship rebellion that resulted in a Supreme Court case had little to do with the white heroes shown in the movie. And in real life, Adams wasn’t as outspoken in his anti-slavery beliefs as the movie would lead you to believe. This movie is an example of how white people are getting credit for a revolutionary act committed by black people. The movie leaves out the fact that 3,000 white people paid 12 cents to stare at the Africans behind bars as they awaited trial.