ROBERT V. DENNEY - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 12/02/1969 - HFSID 34362

ROBERT DENNEY
Two-page, typed 1969 signed letter as a Member of Congress, to 5th graders on "what my country means to me."
Typed Letter signed: "Robert V. Denney" as US Representative, 2 pages, 8x10. Washington, D.C., 1969 December 2. On his official Congressional letterhead to Jack F. Dodds, Principal, Riley Elementary School, Lincoln, Nebraska. In full: "I am quite happy to elaborate a bit on 'What my country means to me.' I hope that my thoughts give some assistance to the children in the fifth grade at Riley Elementary School learning about Patriotism. There are many characteristics of our nation that we can be proud of, but several I think are particularly important as I consider love of country are the following: Freedom. Perhaps the outstanding aspect of our government and our life is the basic thought that for man to be happy and productive, he should be as 'free' in his actions and thoughts as possible. And so, to the extent that we do [handwritten addition: "not"] harm our fellow Americans, we are allowed to do almost what we want. We can worship in the way we see fit (freedom of religion), we can say what we want to say (freedom of speech), and we can have the job which is most satisfying to us (free enterprise system). But we must always remember that 'freedom is not free', and that in order to preserve this wonderful attribute of our democratic system, we must be sure to guard against those who would take our freedom away. Justice. One of the goals of our founding fathers two-hundred years ago was to create a government of laws and not of men. This meant that men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams wanted to have our government 'fenced in' by certain ways of exerting its authority. Our Constitution laid out a blueprint of the way our government was to run, and the basic rights that we were all to have and that the government could not take away from us. For example, there are certain requirements that must be met before a person can be elected as a congressman - he must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S., and, of course, elected by his fellow citizens. Likewise our 'laws' assure that we are protected against having our property taken away from us unless we are given fairness, justice in other words, in determining that we have done something wrong. And as we grow from being a young nation to being an old nation, we must continually strive to make sure that 'justice' is given to all. Opportunity. For all, but especially the young, a very important advantage of our American way of life is the opportunity that it holds. Our educational system, perhaps is the best in the world. It has given to almost all of us the tools with which to build a successful life. With laws to protect us and with a general attitude of freedom, we each go our own way seeking to reach as far as we can or want. Because we are such a rich country in resources, we have the opportunity to make a good living if we have pride in ourselves and trust in our ability. It is this opportunity, and the fact that we have taken advantage of it, that has made our nation such a good place in which to live. I hope I have given you a satisfactory summary of 'What my country means to me.' Because of the above, it means a feeling of security for myself and my family and a hope that others will find the same satisfaction that I have in America. Sincerely". Robert Vernon Denney (1916-1981), a Marine Corps veteran of World War II, represented Nebraska in the US Congress (1967-1971) as a Republican. He spent the last decade of his life as a US District Court Judge. Normal mailing folds. Fine condition.