Birth of a Nation/Racism in 2 Scenes

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A 3 page essay that discusses this film. Director D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation” (1915) debuted as “The Clansman” in California, but was retitled for the world premier in New York three months later (Dirks). While this film is acknowledged to be a cinematic masterpiece by the American Film Institute, it is also recognized as being overly racist in content, as it glorifies and justifies the brutal vigilantism of the Ku Klux Klan during the Reconstruction era (Dirks). The following examination looks at the issue of racism in “The Birth of a Nation” in 2 scenes. Bibliography lists 1 source.