Department of Education and Public Programs
Writing a Formal Letter to the President
Letter writing is a powerful way to communicate your concerns to the president. In the digital age,
most people use email and texts. In the past, letter writing was the main way to send a message to
the president. Writing a formal letter shows you took the time to give your opinion on an issue of
concern. Since formal letter writing might be unfamiliar to you, we’ve provided two different
templates to choose from to help craft your letter to the White House.
Brainstorm
1. What is one major concern that you have for your community, state, or country?
2. Why is it important?
3. What can people do to help? What can the president do?
Write a Letter
Write a draft of a letter to the president or vice president concerning your issue, and what steps you
think the official should take to address it.
Business letter format:
Return address line 1 (street address)
Return address line 2 (city, state, zip code)
Date (Month Day, Year) [April 19, 2018]
Mr. /Mrs. /Ms. /Dr. Full name of recipient
Title/Position of recipient.
Company Name
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
Dear (Title) (Last name):
Body Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself, the community you represent, and the reason you are writing the
letter.
Body Paragraph 2: Explain the details of your issue: Who is affected? What is the effect? How long has
it been going on?
Body Paragraph 3: Help the recipient of the letter relate to the issue. Why should people care? What
can people do to help?
Closing: Thank the person for their time and attention.
Sincerely,
(Sign your name)
(Print your name)
Department of Education and Public Programs
First some letters written to President Kennedy.
Department of Education and Public Programs
Department of Education and Public Programs
Department of Education and Public Programs
Department of Education and Public Programs
A transcript of the letters for easy reading:
Dear President Kennedy
I am 5 years old.
I live to watch television.
I know you have to on television because it is important. Please try to be on a
time when my favorite shows are over. If you need help ask Caroline.
Thank you,
David Dwight Rosskam
Dear President Kennedy
I think you are a very nice President. But I think you should use more oil and
gas in your rockets and airplanes.
You should try it. Make a smaller rocket ship and put more oil and gas in it
Because the Russians have a airplane that can go 90 days with out stoping.
Mabe if you used a person who is light and can fit into a small airplane or
rocket it might do the same thing as the Russians plane did.
Sincerely yours,
Joan Grant
159-30 Harlem River Drive
New York 39, New York
September 17, 1961
Sir: [Pres]
I am very concerned about the situation in alabama. It makes my heart ache to
see civilized people do such violence. The bombing on Sunday was really
awful. Those children were innocent. I know you are the President and you try
to do things well but I would like to offer a small suggestion. I know you have
some troops stationed there, but why not send more and make sure they are
stern enough to enforce the law and to see that the local police does likewise.
Respectfully yours,
James Jones
Department of Education and Public Programs
A place to start your letter.
(Your address):
______________________
______________________
(Date): ______________________
President ___________
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President _______________,
My name is _________________________. I am ____ years old and live in
_________________. I have a question for you: ______________________
__________________________________________________________?
I am concerned about ____________________________________ because
________________________________. This is important to me because
___________________________________________________________.
As President of the United States, I hope you will _____________________
________________________________________________________.
Sincerely,
___________________
(Your name)
Department of Education and Public Programs
Prepare your envelope.
Visit www.jfklibrary.org/LetterWriting for a video with historical inspiration
from President John Adams and Abigail Adams reading letters to each other
and further guidance on writing your own letter to the president.
You can visit www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/ for more
information about how to contact the White House. In addition to writing a
letter, you can call or send an email.
