[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
[April 17, 1996]
[Pages 593-594]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Message to the Congress Transmitting the Report of the
National Endowment for the Humanities
April 17, 1996

To the Congress of the United States:
    I am pleased to present to you the 1995 Annual Report of the 
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). For 30 years, this Federal 
agency has given Americans great opportunities to explore and share with 
each other our country's vibrant and diverse cultural heritage. Its work 
supports an impressive array of humanities projects.
    These projects have mined every corner of our tradition, unearthing 
all the distinct and different voices, emotions, and ideas that together 
make up what is a uniquely American culture. In 1995, they ranged from 
an award-winning television documentary on President Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt, the radio production Wade in the Water, to preservation 
projects that will rescue 750,000 important books from obscurity and 
archive small community newspapers from every State in the Union. 
Pandora's Box, a traveling museum exhibit of women and myth in classical 
Greece, drew thousands of people.
    The humanities have long helped Americans bridge differences, learn 
to appreciate one another, shore up the foundations of our democracy, 
and build strong and vital institutions across our country. At a time 
when our society faces new and profound challenges, when so many 
Americans feel insecure in the face of change, the presence and 
accessibility of the humanities in all our lives can be a powerful

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source of our renewal and our unity as we move forward into the 21st 
century.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,

April 17, 1996.