History1302 US History to 1877
Questions:
To prepare for this discussion watch scenes (links below) from the film The Birth of a Nation that portray African-Americans during Reconstruction in an inaccurate and racist way.
One of the scenes that best exemplifies historical distortion and racism is the segment from the South Carolina statehouse. Other good examples include scenes with the Ku Klux Klan, whose members the film portrays as heroes.
The Birth of a Nation, scene with the Ku Klux Klan After viewing the scenes, read this short essay from the Library of Congress about the film and the controversy surrounding it. After viewing the scenes & reading the essay, use the questions below to discuss the film and the controversy surrounding it:
Describe the actions of the African-American politicians in the South Carolina statehouse scene. How does this portrayal of black officeholders compare to the information about these officeholders in Chapter 15 of the textbook?
Discuss the actions and portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan in the film. How does this portrayal differ from the research provided in the textbook? In the film clips, what seem to be the fears that white southerners have about the former slaves?
Which of these fears most seems to drive their actions? According to the film, what is the legacy of Reconstruction? What is the textbook’s assessment of this legacy? Why do you think many people tend to get their history from Hollywood films rather than from a history book?
What are your thoughts on the value of a textbook and similar works of scholarly research? After the film’s release in 1915, the NAACP and others tried to have it banned or censored.
Discuss the First Amendment issues that arose following the film’s release. Should The Birth of a Nation be shown in public today? Why or why not? **Each student is expected to post an initial submission of 10-15 sentences discussing the material.
Subsequently, each student will need to respond to 2 of their fellow classmates posts with a small paragraph of sentences to receive full credit. Don't simply answer the questions -- instead use them to critically analyze the material -- in other words, use the questions to help you formulate a response
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