Birth of a Nation (1915)

The Birth of a Nation (1915) is a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) creation story, directed by D.W. Griffith and adapted from Thomas Dixon’s The Clansman, an Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan (1905). The silent film debuted during the most racist era in United States history, frequently referred to as the “nadir of race relations.” After seeing the film, white southerner and sitting president Woodrow Wilson reportedly commented, “It is like writing history with lighting, and my only regret is that it is all so terribly true.”

The film begins on the eve of the Civil War and ends in the post-Reconstruction era. It chronicles the lives of two families: the northern Stonemans and the southern Camerons. The Stonemans are abolitionists and fight for the Union Army while the Camerons are slaveholders and fight for the Confederacy. In the Reconstruction storyline, the Stonemans support and the Camerons oppose Congressional Reconstruction. The Birth of a Nation chronicles the formation of the Ku Klux Klan in the South, depicting the organization as acting nobly in defense of the Union, and representing African Americans as murders and rapists.

Though considered one of the first modern films and praised by moving picture scholars for its imaging techniques, The Birth of a Nation capitalized on white fear of African Americans and the idea of a racially integrated nation. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called for its removal from theaters. Not surprisingly the Klan was “invigorated” by the film’s release and launched a membership campaign to exploit its success. Producers and directors, capitalizing on The Birth of a Nation’s popularity, quickly crafted many similar movies in its likeness.

Director D.W. Griffith admitted his intention was to capture a sense of national unity. He stated, “The real purpose of my film was to revolutionize Northern audiences [and] transform every man into a Southern man.” Both Griffith and author, Thomas Dixon, used the content of their work to rewrite the history of the United States during the Civil War and Reconstruction. The Birth of a Nation stands as a testament to contested notions of black citizenship during the Wilson presidency and in the years leading up to the United States’ entrance into World War I.