The original “Birth of a Nation” film directed by D.W. Griffith was released in 1915 and was incredibly popular, being endorsed by President Woodrow Wilson and shown in theaters for 44 weeks. The film took place during the Civil War and in the Reconstruction Era and was so blatantly racist that the NAACP requested for it to be banned. This was the most successful silent film ever made, grossing over $10 million with Woodrow Wilson stating it was, “Like writing history with lightning!” He also considered the movie to be, “the greatest motion picture of all time,” despite the negative portrayal of African Americans and historical inaccuracies. Viewers were so enraged and emotionally charged when seeing this film that from 1915 to 1924 the Ku Klux Klan peaked with a membership of 4.5 million.
The film is considered a minstrel show because of its use of blackface, or white people painting their skin black and exaggerating African features to mock African Americans. These shows portrayed Black people as clownish, childlike, and as a grateful servant. When slave characters were offered freedom by the stereotypical kind master they refused because their childlike image placed them in a position where they needed paternal supervision. They were often dressed in loud patterns, they pranced around ridiculously, and promoted some of the most superficial stereotypes such as eating watermelon or chicken. In the first scene, Griffith writes, “The bringing of the African to America planted the first seed of disunion.” By including this quote, he made the impression that African Americans were brought over peacefully and then caused chaos, basically denying that the Middle Passage even happened. He blamed our ancestors for all the problems that occurred in early America even though they’re the people who were abducted and enslaved.
In this film, the protagonist, Ben Cameron, was stereotyped as “the kindly master”. He was depicted as a family guy who loved his younger sister, Flora, saved Elsie from Silas Lynch’s forced marriage, and even went as far as joining the KKK to protect his family. Ben was a gentleman and romantic who won over the audience’s hearts. When walking onto the plantation he smiled and waved to his slaves and they tipped their hats to him gleefully. This particular scene is inaccurate due to the fact that slave masters would not walk into plantations, but instead they would ride on a horse with a rifle. They were not at all cordial or place themselves on the same level as the people whom they perceived as inferior. The scene was completely unrealistic in that it depicted white people and slaves as friendly with one another when the truth is brutal and dehumanizing of African Americans. The following scene which was falsified as well depicted the slave quarters as merry with actors in Blackface dancing like monkeys captioned by the statement, “The two-hour interval given for dinner, out of their working day from six to six.” In reality, slaves worked from dawn until dusk with no breaks. Their quarters were filled with anxiety about whether their families would be torn apart and if they’d see them again. Slave masters would not go visit their slaves and hang out like they were friends as shown in the film.
Elsie Stoneman who held Northern views about slavery was the damsel in distress of this film. She was likable, well-mannered, and attractive and Ben fell in love with her based on one photograph. Elsie was also independent and worked as a nurse during the Civil War when she met Ben, the opposition to her beliefs. She represented progressiveness but gets taken advantage of when Silas attempts to force her into marriage. Even though she disapproves of the KKK and the confederacy’s beliefs, when Ben rescues her she feels compelled to finally marry him. On the contrary, Ben’s younger sister Flora is a huge supporter of him and the Confederacy. She was the martyr in this film, jumping off a cliff to escape Gus the Renegade, symbolizing the preservation of their white purity. Flora was passionate and proud of her Southern beliefs and advocated for the KKK while Austin Stoneman, Elsie’s father, was an abolitionist portrayed in a negative light. Stoneman was odd, shifty, demanding and short-tempered. He was constantly scratching at his wig and had uneven legs. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, power hungry Stoneman didn’t hesitate to take control of the North. Stoneman also supported the antagonist, Silas Lynch, and was for the equality among whites and Blacks.
While the white characters won the audience over with agreeable characteristics, the Black characters promoted damaging stereotypes. Silas, Stoneman’s protégé, the mulatto leader of the Blacks, is incredibly lustful, and in particular towards Elsie promoting the black man lusting after the white woman stereotype. In one scene, he is choking a dog indicating that Black men are aggressive and mean. Another character is Lydia Brown, a house maid who comes onto Senator Charles Sumner. When he rejects her, she claims he raped her perpetuating the oversexualized Black woman stereotype mirroring the sexually charged Black man stereotype portrayed by Gus, the Renegade. Gus chased down Flora because he wanted to make her his wife, so he was perceived as violent and pedophilic. Lydia’s character also made the assumption that women commonly claim to be sexually assaulted when it didn’t actually happen, further creating a misogynistic view of Black women in particular.
Furthermore, significant scenes that portrayed African Americans adversely are the Freedman’s Bureau, Black Regiment, court and voting scene. In the Freedman’s Bureau scene, African Americans are receiving free supplies, provided generously by the North, and one of the men is taking more than he needs. This part of the movie led to the “welfare queen” stereotype and promoted the greedy African American taking advantage of the welfare system. On Election Day, all the African Americans were given the ballot while the whites were disenfranchised. The whites were prevented from voting, being turned away while a Black man was voting more than once, expressing the idea that Black people are cheaters. This scene is exceptionally inaccurate because white men had the right to vote since the creation of the United States while people of color had virtually no rights. Lastly, the Black Regiment and State House of Representative scenes both had common depictions of African Americans. During the Black Regiment, African American soldiers were tearing apart the Cameron’s house and stealing chickens. They wore their uniforms incorrectly which insinuated their disrespectfulness and that they were undisciplined. This scene promoted the idea that black people are violent, out-of-control thieves while in the State House of Representative scene they acted like animals as well. The Black men were seen with their feet on the table, one was drinking, and they’re all wearing hats and smoking inside. This scene was almost completely disorderly except for the “helpless white minority” who sat quietly and appeared afraid in the face of the insubordinate negro party. Finally, the court had a jury of all African Americans who of course in this film were biased against white people.
This film was not only racist but was historically inaccurate concerning slavery and race relations in the United States. The actors in Blackface were promoting negative stereotypes that have lasted to this day and still have an effect on the Black community. Birth of a Nation enforced modern day racism and anti-Blackness, being the most major contributor. Overall, it was a detrimental film to Black people, women, and even left-leaning white people because of the results from Elsie standing firm in her beliefs and Stoneman’s disagreeable personality.
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