The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation

The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!

NR 1915 · 195 min · ★ 5.9 · Drama, History, War

Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.

Directed by D.W. Griffith · Written by D.W. Griffith

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Cast

Lillian Gish Stoneman's Daughter Elsie
Mae Marsh Flora Cameron
Henry B. Walthall Col. Ben Cameron
Miriam Cooper Margaret Cameron
Mary Alden Stoneman's Housekeeper Lydia
Ralph Lewis Leader of the House Hon. Austin Stoneman
George Siegmann Lieut. Governor Silas Lynch
Walter Long Gus
Robert Harron Tod
Wallace Reid Jeff, the Blacksmith
Joseph Henabery Abraham Lincoln
Elmer Clifton Stoneman's Elder Son Phil

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