The Birth of a Nation

Eric Alba

Professor Alexandra Hinojosa

COMM 2366

June 21, 2016

Over a hundred years ago D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation premiered across the United States of America, with the civil war only happening forty five years prior to the release of the film. Many people around the states were outraged by the content that was shown. It really struck a chord with society at time, primarily the black and white race.  It caused riots and protest from the east coast to the west coast,  not only did it outrage people and led to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, it was also a blockbuster hit and the early rise of Hollywood. The Birth of a Nation was one of its first to show how influential media can be amongst society and how easily it can change the perception of many, while going through the history of the film and the United States, we will be able to see and understand how the media can divide people by race and class

According to http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmaster D.W. Griffith grew up a poor farm boy in Kentucky. At the age of ten his father passed away during the civil war on the confederate army. Griffith grew up wanting to become a playwright and traveled in hope of becoming an actor, he travelled all over the country for twelve years acting in minor productions learning how to tell a story and sell it. Griffith played many roles before agreeing to move behind a camera but that day he did, it was the start of a whole new era in film and history.  

        The birth of a nation was nothing but three hours of racist propaganda according to NPR.com starting with the Civil War and ending with the Ku Klux Klan riding in to save the South from black rule during the Reconstruction era. “Griffith, portrayed the emancipated slaves as heathens, as unworthy of being free, as uncivilized, as primarily concerned with passing laws so they could marry white women and prey on them," Dick Lehr, author of The Birth of a Nation: How a Legendary Filmmaker and a Crusading Editor Reignited America's Civil War.  During these time the film was considered very much accurate. The whites felt threatened towards the black having civil liberties. Blacks finally were “free” and the thought of that towards white people was just unbearable even frightening for some. People truly believed what Griffith was portraying was true, that blacks were going to take over office and become the majority and leave the whites as a minority there for taking over their beloved country.