Published December 26, 2014

In this 2014 photo released by the History Channel, Michael Raymond-James plays the role of Paul Revere in "Sons of Liberty," a new miniseries premiering in January 2015 on the History Channel. (AP Photo/History Channel, Ollie Upton)(The Associated Press)

In this 2014 photo released by the History Channel, actors portray Revolutionary War soldiers in a scene from "Sons of Liberty," a new miniseries premiering in January 2015 on the History Channel. (AP Photo/History Channel, Ollie Upton)(The Associated Press)

In this 2014 photo released by the History Channel, Ben Barnes plays the role of Sam Adams in "Sons of Liberty," a new miniseries premiering in January 2015 on the History Channel. (AP Photo/History Channel, Ollie Upton)(The Associated Press)

In this 2014 photo released by the History Channel, Ben Barnes plays the role of Sam Adams in "Sons of Liberty," a new miniseries premiering in January 2015 on the History Channel. (AP Photo/History Channel, Ollie Upton)(The Associated Press)

In this 2014 photo released by the History Channel, Marton Csokas portrays British General Gage in a scene from "Sons of Liberty," a new miniseries premiering in January 2015 on the History Channel. (AP Photo/History Channel, Ollie Upton)(The Associated Press)

Don't let the powdered wigs and oil paintings fool you: Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the other eventual Americans who changed the course of history were a ragtag band of secretive and sometimes mischievous young radicals.

Just ask Paul Revere, aka actor Michael Raymond-James, who's part of the cast of "Sons of Liberty," a new miniseries premiering in January on the History Channel.

There was more to Revere than his famous ride of April 18, 1775, to warn the colonists the British were coming.

"He was so much more involved than that. He was a major operative and a huge thorn in the British crown," Raymond-James said, sipping a pint of beer during an interview at the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston's North End a favorite meeting place of the revolutionaries.

Read more:

Sons of Liberty get TV show