Patrick Henry represented the pent up frustrations of many colonists who were tired of the imposition of taxes and other penalties to pay for the expense of the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The Boston Massacre (1770), which was a response to the Intolerable Acts, Lexington and Concord (1775) and the First (1774) and Second Continental Congresses (1775) provided the backdrop for his famous declaration, ""Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death". His sentiments captured the desire of the colonists to engage in open rebellion against the British Empire. Independence was declared in 1776.
