Quote
By James Monroe
The right of self defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals, and whether the attack be made by Spain herself or by those who abuse her power, its obligation is not the less strong.
- Source
- Second Annual Message, November 16, 1818
- Read at
- The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara
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About this quote
From President Monroe's Second Annual Message to Congress, November 16, 1818. He was defending General Jackson's 1818 campaign in the Spanish Floridas against raids by the Seminoles and by foreign adventurers, and explaining why the United States had acted when Spain could not keep order there. The source prints "self defense" without a hyphen.