Author(s)

DongQiao Chen

Affiliation(s)

The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100032, China. 

Corresponding Author

DongQiao Chen

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the influence of The Birth of a Nation (1915), one of the most controversial films in American history, which has been both condemned for its overtly racist depictions and praised for its technical innovations. The research focuses on specific scenes that portray African Americans as lustful and uncivilized predators, analyzing the film’s role as propaganda that reinforced racial stereotypes and bolstered white supremacist ideologies.

Using historical analysis and primary sources, the paper examines the cultural and societal impacts of the film, particularly its role in sparking widespread racial violence, police brutality, and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. By depicting African Americans as threats and glorifying the Reconstruction-era KKK, the film amplified racial tensions and legitimized violence against Black communities. The analysis highlights how the film's release contributed to the rise of the Second KKK, illustrating the connection between cinematic depictions and real-world socio-political movements. The findings underscore the film’s enduring legacy as a tool of systemic racism and a catalyst for both organized white supremacy and early Black protest movements. This research contributes to the discourse on how media shapes public perception and perpetuates historical injustices, emphasizing the importance of critically examining cultural artifacts within their broader historical contexts.

KEYWORDS

The Birth of a Nation; Racism; Propaganda; Ku Klux Klan; Racial violence; Black protest movements

CITE THIS PAPER

DongQiao Chen. The Birth of a Nation: propaganda's role in shaping racial violence and historical narratives. Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Research. 2024, 2(10): 8-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/tsshr3094.

REFERENCES

[1] Franklin John Hope. Birth of a Nation’: Propaganda as History. The Massachusetts Review 20, 1979, 3: 417–34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25088973.

[2] Caddoo Cara. THE BIRTH OF A NATION’, POLICE BRUTALITY, AND BLACK PROTEST. The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 14, 2015, 4: 608–11. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43903545.

[3] Baudouin R. Ku Klux Klan: A history of racism and violence. Montgomery, al: Southern poverty law center, 2011.

[4] Stokes M D W. Griffith’s the Birth of a Nation: A History of the Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time. Oxford University Press, 2007.

[5] Fryer R G, S D Levitt. Hatred and Profits: Under the Hood of the Ku Klux Klan. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2012, 127 (4): 1883–1925.

[6] Simcovitch M. The impact of Griffith’s birth of a nation on the modern Ku Klux Klan. Journal of Popular Film, 1972, 1 (1): 45–54.

[7] Ang D. The Birth of a Nation: Media and Racial Hate. American Economic Review, 2023, 113(6): 1424-1460.

[8] Simmons, W. J. The Klan Unmasked. Wm. E. Thompson publishing Company. 1923.