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A saying spoken by the American delegates when the privateers' demands were issued. The delegates found the terms unacceptable answered "Not a sixpence," but in the inflated rhetoric of the day the response became the infinitely more memorable: "Millions for defense, sir, but not one cent for tribute!"

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15y ago

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It is about principle. Tribute is paying the enemy not to attack you. The more economical deal would be to go ahead and pay the one cent in tribute, but the higher principle requires spending a million for defense instead of cowing down to an enemy.

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15y ago
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I believe these words were uttered by a Congressman and not by a president, regarding the XYZ affair with France. The popular story is that Jefferson used these words regarding the Barbary pirates.

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14y ago
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Q: What does a million for defense not a cent for a tribute mean?
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