When it came time to question whether America should be independent from Great Britain, many were quiet. Fearful of committing treason against the King of England, many American colonists were afraid to speak their minds. Patrick Henry spoke when others wouldn't. When the British taxes and rules became more than the colonists could bear, Henry unleashed his contempt for the British monarchy. He even went so far as to warn that tyrants often meet with a violent end. He said what many Americans felt but were too afraid to say. Some believed he spoke treason and his words could've led him to the gallows. Instead, his words led Americans to war, and to independence from the tyrannical King George III.