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1981
Volume 16, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2042-1869
  • E-ISSN: 2042-1877

Abstract

This article explores the impact of D. W. Griffith’s on Southern identity and racial narratives. The film’s portrayal of the post-Civil War South, promoting the “Lost Cause” ideology and glorifying the Ku Klux Klan, distorted the history of Reconstruction while reinforcing racist stereotypes. The article draws on scholars like Desmond Ang, who compares the film’s influence to modern media, and Jenny Barrett, who highlights the struggle of People of Color against prejudice. It also reflects on Paul McEwan’s examination of the film’s educational value, arguing that its legacy still shapes public discourse and education, particularly in the South.

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2026-01-31
2026-04-13

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References

  1. Ang, Desmond.The Birth of a Nation: Media and Racial Hate.American Economic Review, vol. 113, no. 6, 2023, pp. 142460, https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20201867.
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  2. Barrett, Jenny.Polgehronicon: Interpreting ‘The Birth of a Nation.’” Teaching History, no. 160, 2015, pp. 4849. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26383166. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025..
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  3. Elliot, Robert B.Representative Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina Demands Federal Civil Rights, January 1874.Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction: Documents and Essays, 3rd ed., edited by Michael Perman and Amy Murrell Taylor, Cengage Learning, 2011, pp. 399401.
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  4. Hahn, Steven.A Society Turned Bottomside Up.Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction: Documents and Essays, 3rd ed., edited by Michael Perman and Amy Murrell Taylor, Cengage Learning, 2011, pp. 40510.
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  5. Kingdon, Ashton, and Aaron, Winter.Digital Reconstruction: A Critical Examination of the History and Adaptation of Ku Klux Klan Websites.Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 39, no. 17-18, 2024, pp. 39834012, https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241260002.
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  6. McEwan, Paul. “Racist Film: Teaching ‘The Birth of a Nation.’” Cinema Journal, vol. 47, no. 1, 2007, pp. 98101, https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.2007.0052.
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  7. Woodward, C. Vann. The Strange Career of Jim Crow: A Brief Account of Segregation. Oxford UP, 1955.
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): Civil War; film; history; race; Reconstruction; slavery; United States
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