6. Thomas Jefferson
In terms of influence on thought and culture, perhaps no American founding father was more important than Thomas Jefferson. He was essential in every capacity during the American Revolutionary War as he wrote the Declaration of Independence, and served as Governor of Virginia. After the war he became the US minister to France, the first Secretary of State, Vice President and finally was elected the third president of the United States in 1800. While president he oversaw the Louisiana Purchase from France which doubled the size of the United States and banned the importation of slaves (although not the practice of slavery). One way to approach this adaption would be to focus on his later life as he looks back on his legacy as he struggled to found the University of Virginia. A film adaption of Jefferson would have near unlimited amounts of options to choose from as he held essentially every important government post and was an accomplished writer, architect and philosopher.
Casting Choice: Just to make the movie ironic, a British actor should play Jefferson. It will never happen but Daniel Day-Lewis would be my pick.