Roosevelt, Theodore, twenty-sixth President

Autograph letter signed ("Theodore Roosevelt"), 2 pages (7 3/4 x 5 3/4 in.; 198 x 145 mm), on letterhead "Sagamore Hill" [Oyster Bay, New York], 12 January 1916, to Theodore C. Blegen in Moorhead, Minnesota; formerly folded, somewhat soiled. Black half-morocco clamshell box with related presentation letter laid in.

formerly folded, somewhat soiled
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"I am a good example of the melting pot — and I am straight United States."

Writing to the historian Theodore C. Blegen (1891-1969) while he was still teaching in high school in Minnesota, the former president writes: "I thank you for your interesting letter; the quotation from Lincoln is strikingly apt, both as regards the President, and as regards our proper international policy. We should stand by any nation,  — Germany, England, France, Russia, Belgium — while it is right, and against it when it goes wrong. And we citizens should occupy the same position towards the President. I hold that as things are now we can not support the cause of true Americanism and also support the President."

"Two centuries and a quarter ago two of my ancestors, Germans, driven from the Palatinate by the armies of Louis XIV, came here and were among the nine founders of Germantown, Pennsylvania. At the same time one of my ancestors who was a Huguenot was driven from France; and others came from Ireland, Wales, and England; half a century previously others had come from Holland; and about two centuries ago others came from Scotland. I am a good example of the melting pot — and I am straight United States!"

The letter is accompanied by a letter from the recipient presenting this letter to Professor Gregg M. Sinclair of Oakland, California, in 1920.