Russell Williams
Well-Known Member
Using Netflix, for the first time Louise and I both watched Birth of a Nation all the way through. The first part went from the start of slavery in the US up through the end of the Civil War. The first part seem to be a reasonably accurate overview. The second part dealt with reconstruction.
The basic theme of the second part seem to be that black people must be kept under control otherwise black men would gain access to white women. The theme of much of the second half seem to be that the Ku Klux Klan the saved white women from being accessed by black men. At some of the meetings shown in the film one of the signs was, something to the effect, equal rights, equal voting, equality in marriage. It was pointed out that at about 1871 the South Carolina legislature passed an absurd role saying that all delegates must wear shoes at all times during meetings and another supposedly outrageous law which legalized interracial marriage. The final scene showed how, because of the Ku Klux Klan, black people were kept from voting. At one point they talked about northern whites and southern whites uniting to save the Aryan race.
I do not know enough history but it is quite possible that this movie, released in 1915, was connected with the rise of Ku Klux Klan in the 20s.
I'd be interested in hearing from people that know more about the subject than I do.
The basic theme of the second part seem to be that black people must be kept under control otherwise black men would gain access to white women. The theme of much of the second half seem to be that the Ku Klux Klan the saved white women from being accessed by black men. At some of the meetings shown in the film one of the signs was, something to the effect, equal rights, equal voting, equality in marriage. It was pointed out that at about 1871 the South Carolina legislature passed an absurd role saying that all delegates must wear shoes at all times during meetings and another supposedly outrageous law which legalized interracial marriage. The final scene showed how, because of the Ku Klux Klan, black people were kept from voting. At one point they talked about northern whites and southern whites uniting to save the Aryan race.
I do not know enough history but it is quite possible that this movie, released in 1915, was connected with the rise of Ku Klux Klan in the 20s.
I'd be interested in hearing from people that know more about the subject than I do.
