NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES ACT SEPTEMBER 1965 NAT'L FOUNDATION ON ARTS HUMANITIES ACT U.S GOV'T LEGISLATIVE ARTS U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION GLOBAL RELATIONS IN SEPTEMBER 1965 CONGRESS PASSED THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES ACT WHICH ESTABLISHED A NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS NEA WAS PART OF THIS FOUNDATION THE FOUNDATION WAS CREATED IN ORDER TO START A NATIONAL POLICY OF SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES THE ACT PROVIDED FUNDING TO BE GRANTED TO ORGANIZATIONS OR INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN THE CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS IT ALSO PROVIDED FUNDING FOR RESEARCH IN THE HUMANITIES AND CREATED THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES NEH REPUBLICAN OPPONENTS OF THIS ACT ARGUED THAT IT WOULD LOWER THE NATION'S CULTURAL LEVEL AND LEAD TO POLITICAL CONTROL OF CULTURE IN 1989 CONTROVERSY ERUPTED OVER NEA FUNDING TO A LOCAL ARTS ORGANIZATION THAT DISPLAYED ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH MANY PEOPLE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE THIS LED CONGRESS TO BAN NEA AND NEH FUNDING OF WORKS THAT THE ENDOWMENTS MIGHT CONSIDER OBSCENE OR LACKING SERIOUS ARTISTIC VALUE
