Birth of a Nation
Definition
"Birth of a Nation" is a controversial 1915 silent film directed by D.W. Griffith that portrayed the Ku Klux Klan in a positive light and African Americans negatively, reinforcing racial stereotypes.
Analogy
Imagine if someone made a movie where the school bully was the hero and the kind-hearted student was depicted as the villain. That's what "Birth of a Nation" did with its portrayal of racial groups.
Related terms
D.W. Griffith: An influential American film director, best known for his groundbreaking but controversial film "Birth of a Nation."
Ku Klux Klan: A white supremacist group that emerged during Reconstruction after the Civil War, known for terrorizing African Americans and promoting white supremacy.
Silent Film Era: The period from around 1891 to 1927 when movies were primarily without synchronized recorded sound or spoken dialogue.
"Birth of a Nation" appears in:
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