Answer:
France.
In 1797, France was run by a group of 5 men known as The Directory. The American reaction was in response to a demand that the United States would have to pay the five members of The Directory $50,000 each and pay tribute to France in the form of a $10,000,000 loan. The French were mad about a treaty we made with England and they wanted the bribe to stop their attacks on our shipping.
American delegate Charles Pinckney actually responded, "No, no, not a sixpence, sir!" The quote, "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute," was actually made by Robert Goodloe Harper as a toast at a dinner shortly after the American delegation returned home. The next day a newspaper printed the toast from the night before and soon people began using it as a rallying cry.
Charles Pinckney himself is said to have denied ever uttering the phrase to the French. In a letter he wrote later in 1797, he stated that he had replied with the "not a sixpence" quote.