In D.W. Griffith’s film, The Birth of a Nation, many southern stereotypes are demonstrated.  Blacks are portrayed as poorly educated animals; whites as intelligent, rational leaders; and women as helpless and fragile innocents.  The film beautifully illustrates the images that I have learned about for years.  Instead of just reading or hearing about the prejudice and oppression of the late 1800’s in the South.  The movie makes the haunting images of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan come alive.
        In the movie blacks are always treated as subordinates to everyone including poor whites and children.  The black characters are made to look dirty, stupid, bitter and violent.  Although free blacks and mallottos are technically free, they are never equal to whites.  For example, in the film Silas Lynch works under Mr. Stoneman, a carpetbagger, in the fight for black supremacy.  Contrary to what I would assume, Stoneman did not think of Lynch as an equal even when they were working together to achieve the same goal.  However, when Lynch approaches Stoneman with his plans to marry his daughter, Elsie Stoneman, he is absolutely appalled.  Lynch was a legally free man but he would never truly be equal to a white man or worthy of marrying a white woman.  Stoneman would never consider Lynch to be his equal.  Regardless of social status, blacks were always treated as inferior to whites.
        Slaves, especially house slaves, were often very loyal servants to the families that owned them.  Often times a slave would be with a family for
his or her entire life.  In many families, the slaves practically raised the family’s children.  The “faithful souls” in the film demonstrated that
loyalty clearly when they saved Dr. Cameron.  Dr. Cameron was chained and marched in front of his former slaves for owning a KKK costume.  Even though
the Cameron slaves were free and Cameron was being arrested for a racist crime, the “faithful souls” still helped him.
        Another stereotype I saw regarding the blacks was the behavior of the women.  The black women acted clumsy, unintelligent and belligerent.  The
white women in the film were very dainty.  They were always very clean and beautifully garbed.  The black women wore old, raggedy clothes.  White women
were portrayed as smarter, prettier, funnier and more graceful.
        I thought that many common stereotypes were exemplified throughout the film.  It is hard for me to imagine living in such a cruel and imprisoning
period of time.  Even though I have been taught about slavery it is still hard to comprehend the horror of it.  A much better understanding of
stereotypes of the Reconstruction period in the south can be gained from The Birth of a Nation.