D. W. Griffith's The Birth Of A Nation

The Birth of a Nation was a movie directed by D.W. Griffith that revealed his intake on the African Americans and falsely portrayed their role in the United States. It is supposed to express how Griffith believes how the United States reflected from the Civil War and Reconstruction. However, after this film was publicly displayed it led to the member growth of the Ku Klux Klan because of his idea of African Americans taking control of the United States. The film shows how two separate families, the Northern family, The Stonemans, who are abolitionist and the Southern family, the Cameron’s. The Cameron’s believe in whites being the superior race and Ben Cameron doing whatever in his power to try and keep that idea present

Flora, Ben Cameron’s younger sister, goes off to a string to get some water when being told not to by her brother. There she meets Gus, a black officer, who asks to marry her. She hits him then starts to run, and while she is Gus lets her know that he does not intend to hurt her in any way. Ben hears of her leaving to the spring and is now looking for Flora. She ends up on a cliff and Gus is trying to get down and she then makes it clear that she would rather jump off and meet death than to be touched by Gus, an African American. Everyone in their, the Cameron’s, community is now searching for Gus. On a side comment it is stated that when finding Gus he will be given a fair trial, and in the next scene it is shown him being catched by the KKK and is killed and thrown in front of Silas Lynch’s door. The statement in this scene is untrue and exaggerated. African Americans haven’t been giving those rights during that time period, and being catched and thrown to the KKK isn’t a fair trial. When Lynches finds the man’s body, conflict arises between the Blacks and Whites, and the Cameron’s run for safety after escaping. Along the way, Ben Cameron and Elsie Stoneman meet again after her almost being forced into marrying Lynch, and they marry. White supremacists are now gaining back the power they had apparently lost to the Blacks. Finally, the film takes a religious turn and Jesus along with his angels are appearing, giving

It shows African Americans attacking Whites and being the ones in control. The films side comments would say the power and new equality of blacks while the Whites were helpless and scared. In actual history, African Americans were never fully given equality, or high-ranking positions, and were always treated like slaves; even after the 14th amendment was placed. Also, at the election, Blacks weren’t allowing the Whites to vote. The 15th amendment gives the right for African Americans to vote but wasn’t practiced during that time period because of the White supremacy that was still present. Lastly, it is known that after watching this movie, the Ku Klux Klan grew. It is easy to see why this happened, the exaggeration of the superiority of Blacks was feared. Many white supremacist were frightened of the idea of African Americans gaining more power than Whites. This resulted in the lynching of many African Americans and the discrimination towards