Abstract
The irony, alluding to the title of the 1915 silent movie Birth of a Nation, seeks to make conspicuous the counter-stories that more authentically account for the “birth” and development of American society. Ku Klux Klan-sponsored propaganda designed to evoke hyper-racist fearmongering and perpetuate sexual paternalism over White women, the plot from Birth of a Nation reflects the paradigmatic race-bait: relentless pursuit of a White woman by a Black man. This storyline was fictionalized, culturally unrealistic and deliberately omitted the very real sexual exploitation of Black women and girls. Birth of a Nation parallels Constitutional history that marginalizes supplemental accounts and obscures counter-histories.
Recommended Citation
Zanita E. Fenton,
(Re)Birth of a Nation: Reconstruction’s Unfinished Business,
30
Mich. J. Race & L.
157
(2026).
Available at:
https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjrl/vol30/iss2/2