13. The Birth of a Nation changed the Ku Klux Klan
The real Ku Klux Klan which formed in the South during Reconstruction was formally organized but lacked a central coordinating authority. It remained localized, for the most part, led by former officers of the Confederacy. It was what would be in a later day called a terrorist organization. It practiced vigilantism, violence, threats of violence, and murder. In 1870 and again the following year, Congress enacted laws aimed directly at suppressing the Klan, and federal troops in the South were used to arrest Klansmen and end its reign of terror. The first iteration of the Klan was largely suppressed by 1874. It played a significant role in the film The Birth of a Nation, where it was depicted as heroic Southern resistance.
Griffith’s film was released in 1915, and has been cited as a reason for the nationwide resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States, which peaked in the 1920s. In the film, Griffith depicted the Klansmen meeting secretly and burning a cross before embarking on a mission, something which the real Klan of Reconstruction did not do. Their 20th century successors did, taking the idea from the film. The white-sheeted costumes adopted in the 20th century were also introduced by Griffith. The film also introduced Klansmen being mounted on robed horses. The 20th century Klansmen adopted what they believed their historical predecessors had done, which they had learned from entertainment media, rather than from the study of history.