Birth of a Nation, The

Portrayal of American Blacks

For instance, there are scenes that focus on Reconstruction-era legislative sessions in South Carolina, in which Griffith depicts the legislature as dominated by a barbaric black majority, while the white minority watches helplessly. In the legislature, some African Americans are barefoot, while others are eating chicken or secretly drinking from flasks of liquor. According to Griffith, the first piece of legislation passed by this black-dominated legislative body provided for the intermarriage of blacks and whites. Shortly after this legislation is passed, [Page 353]Griffith focuses the camera on the African American legislators who stare longingly at the few white women spectators in the gallery, and then the African Americans erupt into paroxysms of joy.

Moreover, all the major “black” characters, such as Silas Lynch and Gus, are actually whites in blackface, and these characters chronically leer and stalk white women throughout the film. For example, even though Lynch is lieutenant governor of South Carolina, his main ambition, according to Griffith, is to marry Elsie. After she rebuffs him, Lynch decides to kidnap her. Like Lynch, Gus is also consumed with desire for white women. Gus, a corrupt Union soldier, constantly follows and stares at Ben Cameron's younger sister, until he finally catches her alone at a spring and asks the young white woman to marry him. She flees from Gus, and in a memorable scene, throws herself over a cliff rather than be ravaged by Gus.

Whereas African Americans are vilified throughout the film, Griffith's white characters, especially southerners, are depicted as physically strong and noble. In one scene, a white man fights and defeats an entire tavern full of African Americans, until he is finally shot in the back by the nefarious Gus. In another scene, a handful of whites, including two former Union soldiers, admirably defend their position against an entire black regiment.

The film ends with a celebratory defeat of Reconstruction-era South Carolina by the Klan and their allies. Gus is captured and killed after a “trial” by the Klan, and Lynch and his supporters are routed in a skirmish with Klansmen. Finally, Ben and Elsie are married, thus showing a unification of the white south and the white north in a post–Civil War society.

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