Despite their efforts, black activists throughout the early 20th century were not able to achieve full equality and fair treatment in society. However, they gained a new way of thinking that resulted in the formation of the ‘New Negro’. This term, in essence, designates a new way of thinking in the black community. Its members were neither satisfied with, nor accepted their inferior position in society and were willing to fight for their rights. Phenomena that paradoxically had a positive impact on the black community as a whole, and especially on the New Negro, were the actions undertaken by African Americans all over the United States in response to D.W. Griffith’s racist 1915 silent movie The Birth of a Nation.
In spite of the many new features it offered to the film world, the movie portrayed the African Americans in such a bad light that the black community felt the film “was not only an insult to the colored race but was an incentive to race hatred and to lawlessness.”
African Americans did not accept these clichéd depictions of their community and soon began to plan several activities, aimed at suppressing the movie nationwide, which significantly impacted the black community. It is the aim of this paper to prove that these activities undertaken by African Americans and their supporters in the early 20th century against The Birth of a Nation influenced and shaped the black community as a whole, but especially the notion of the New Negro, both politically and culturally.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Nadir
2.1 Legal Discrimination
2.2 Violent Discrimination
2.3 Cultural Discrimination
3. Political Influence
3.1 Organizing and Uniting
3.1.1 Uniting in Organizations Against a Powerful Force
3.1.1.1 The NAACP
3.1.1.2 Women’s Organizations
3.1.2 Uniting in Mass Meetings
3.2 Militant Actions
3.2.1 Addressing Censors
3.2.1.1 New York
3.2.1.2 Boston
3.2.2 Addressing Local Authorities
3.2.2.1 New York
3.2.2.2 Boston
3.2.2.3 Portland
4. Cultural Influence
4.1 First Attempts
4.2 Within Our Gates
4.2.1 Confronting the Submissive African American
4.2.1.1 The Tom
4.2.1.2 The Mammy
4.2.1.3 The Coon
4.2.2 Dismissing the Bad Negro
4.2.2.1 The Black Brute
4.2.2.2 The Black Buck
4.2.2.3 The Mulatto
5. Conclusion
Objectives & Core Themes
This thesis examines the paradoxical influence of the 1915 film "The Birth of a Nation" on the Black community in the early 20th century. While the film served as a vehicle for virulent racism and propaganda, it acted as a catalyst for political and cultural mobilization among African Americans, fostering the development of a 'New Negro' identity characterized by self-worth, racial pride, and assertive activism.
- The impact of institutional and cultural racism during the "Nadir" period of Black history.
- Political mobilization strategies, including the role of the NAACP, women's organizations, and mass meetings.
- Militant counter-actions against censorship boards and local political authorities.
- The emergence of an independent Black film industry as a direct response to Griffith’s negative cinematic stereotypes.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.1.2 Women’s Organizations
The Birth of a Nation angered and influenced male and female African Americans alike. At the time of the film, women in general, and especially black women, were barely recognized in the life outside of their home. W. E. B. Du Bois, demanded independence for women by asserting that “[w]e cannot imprison women again in a home or require them all on pain of death to be nurses and housekeepers.” And indeed, his claim must have been heard since, in the northern environment with its economical opportunities, women, especially those of color, were hired in a variety of fields and “were free from the cruder handicaps of primitive household hardships and the grosser forms of sex and race subjugation.”
However, not only were the economic and social conditions of women improved, but their consciousness began to change as well. By uniting against The Birth of a Nation, African American women reflected and helped to shape New Negro ideas. As discussed earlier, the new black consciousness was defined by the colored citizen’s fight for civil rights. By uniting, African American women helped to pursue this aim. One particular example of the united power of black women can be seen in the organizing against the film in Boston.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Provides an overview of the historical context of racial suppression and sets the thesis objective to analyze the reactions to D.W. Griffith’s film.
2. The Nadir: Details the legal, violent, and cultural forms of racial discrimination African Americans faced in the early 20th century.
3. Political Influence: Analyzes the surge in organizational activity, mass meetings, and direct militant protests against the film’s screening.
4. Cultural Influence: Examines the emergence of Black film production as a counter-medium to white-dominated stereotypes, focusing on the work of Oscar Micheaux.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes how the film’s racist imagery paradoxically spurred a transformative era of political and cultural self-affirmation.
Keywords
The Birth of a Nation, D.W. Griffith, New Negro, NAACP, African American history, Silent movies, Political activism, Racial discrimination, Jim Crow laws, Oscar Micheaux, Within Our Gates, Cultural resistance, Harlem Renaissance, Stereotypes, Film censorship.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this Master's thesis?
The thesis explores how the 1915 racist film "The Birth of a Nation" inadvertently galvanized African American political and cultural activism, directly influencing the development of the "New Negro" movement.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include institutionalized racial discrimination, the mobilization of civil rights groups, the fight for control over cinematic representation, and the emergence of early Black cinema.
What is the central research question?
The study asks whether and how the political and cultural counter-actions taken by the Black community against the film shaped a new, assertive identity among African Americans.
Which research methodology does the author use?
The author uses historical document analysis, including primary sources like newspaper reports, NAACP records, works by prominent Black thinkers like W.E.B. Du Bois, and close examination of the film "Within Our Gates."
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body investigates the transition from passive existence to active political resistance, the censorship campaigns in cities like New York and Boston, and the subsequent birth of Black film production as a form of cultural reclamation.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include "The Birth of a Nation," "New Negro," "NAACP," "Oscar Micheaux," "racial stereotypes," and "cinematic representation."
How does the author define the "New Negro"?
The "New Negro" is defined as an independent, self-conscious, and educated individual who rejects submissive roles and strives for full civil rights and social equality.
What role does the movie "Within Our Gates" play in the argument?
It serves as the primary case study for how Black filmmakers systematically dismantled racist stereotypes found in Griffith's film by presenting complex, multifaceted, and educated Black characters.
How did Black women's activism evolve during this period?
Black women moved beyond traditional household roles to become militant organizers, forming protective leagues and associations to challenge racial injustice and ensure their own civil rights.
- Quote paper
- Stefanie Laufs (Author), 2012, The Paradoxical Influence of “The Birth of a Nation” on the Black Community in the early 20th Century, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/229509
