By Cyndi Tolosa
In the mid-20th century, more Americans were thinking about science, space, and exploration than ever before. Reflecting the priorities of post–World War II America, the National Science Foundation (NSF) was established in 1950 to promote the progress of science; advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and secure the national defense.
Meanwhile, in 1963, the National Commission on the Humanities came together to study the state of the humanities in the United States. Its report, delivered on April 30, 1964, found that “the state of the humanities today creates a crisis for national leadership.” At a time when funding flowed freely for science through the NSF, the commission proposed establishing a National Humanities Foundation to invest in culture in the United States and allow “humanists to offer their fellow-countrymen whatever understanding can be attained by fallible humanity of such enduring values as justice, freedom, virtue, beauty, and truth.” Responding to a November 15, 1960, statement by the President’s Science Advisory Committee, the National Commission on the Humanities argued, “While this report centers on the needs of science, we repudiate emphatically any notion that science research and scientific education are the only kinds of learning that matter to America . . . The advancement of science must not be accomplished by the impoverishment of anything else.”
On September 29, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act into law. The act established the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as separate, independent federal agencies. It also created state and jurisdictional humanities councils.
The Connecticut Humanities Council (now CT Humanities or CTH) was founded in 1974 to partner with NEH in bringing the humanities to the public through programming and grants to humanities organizations. CT Humanities has been an essential cultural leader in Connecticut ever since through our vision, partnership, funding, and convening. We connect people and ideas throughout the state, encouraging curiosity, understanding, and critical thinking.
As we near CT Humanities’ 50th anniversary in January 2024, we are looking back in order to plan ahead. The report published 60 years ago by the National Commission on the Humanities asserts, “Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens.” In less than three years, we approach another anniversary—our nation’s 250th in 2026—and our democracy is in crisis. As CTH administers the work of our state’s 250th commission, this prescient language is at the forefront of our minds: we must cultivate wisdom.
Wisdom is rooted in the humanities. Humanities disciplines like history, anthropology, philosophy, literature, cultural studies, and political science invite understanding, reflection, analysis, curiosity, and contemplation about what it means to be human. In our daily lives, these studies constitute a collective toolkit that allows us to build and navigate relationships with one another and the world around us. They also allow us to explore how our humanity is shared and expressed through the extraordinary diversity of the human experience.
The humanities may seem intangible, but they are all around us—in our lives, our homes, our communities. Every idea we have, every question we answer, every feeling we express, every relationship we form, and every event we experience is a manifestation of the humanities. Their accumulation over time leads to the wisdom we seek. And, in the United States of America, this wisdom will guide us towards a more perfect union.
As we imagine CT Humanities’ next 50 years and our nation’s next 250, we will partner with arts, civics, and cultural organizations across Connecticut to nurture the broad spectrum of the humanities so that our democracy will endure and we will thrive.
Cyndi Tolosa is a development officer at Connecticut Humanities.
