The KKK formed after the Civil War, recruiting Whites who were bitter over the war and opposed to federal interference in the South. They often threatened Black voters and sympathetic Whites until the Enforcement Act was passed in 1870. After 1871, the activity declined. In 1915, D.W. Griffith’s film The Birth of a Nation romanticized the Klan as heroes, and a new wave of membership began. Black, Jewish, and Catholic people quickly became targets of violence.
Pictured: A full color advertisement for the film The Birth of a Nation. The paper has yellowed. At the top, the text reads: “D.W. Griffith’s Immortal Masterpiece,” surrounded by a blue box. Under a red line is a still from the film, presumably of actor portraying Nathan Bedford Forrest. In the center is a red circle with text that reads: “The Birth of a Nation” Below that is another film still of Klan members in white robes on horseback. A red line is above another blue box with text that reads: “First Time in Sound!”
Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsc-04380
