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    In the diaries kept by my great grandparents from 1889 to 1948, my grandmother Mary Allen (their daughter) took over the writing for a brief time in what would today be called her "gap year." She was only 15 years old when she graduated from high school, which was apparently too young for her parents to consider sending her away on the train to the Iowa State Normal School for teacher training. 

    Her entry for March 29, 1916, is shown below:

    Transcription: Earl [brother] and I went to M-town to see the play, "The Birth of a Nation". Awful large crowd. Pa went to Colo. Nice day.

    I know that the controversial film came out in 1915, but I didn't know it was a play. Perhaps in those early days of film, people still equated going to the movie house with going to a play? I don't know the answer.

    At any rate, if you teach about the film either in film classes or in American History classes that cover race relations during that time period, there's a helpful Research Guide of Chronicling America articles. Popular Reactions to "Birth of a Nation": Topics in Chronicling America includes a number of articles from 1915 and 1916 after the film came out. In particular, I would point out an article from an African American newspaper in Denver strongly arguing against the film coming to Denver.   

    Scene from "The Birth of a Nation"

      6 - 8    9 - 12    Social Studies/History    Art/Music    film studies    The Birth of a Nation    diary    Talia Smith  

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    So interesting  Mary Johnson ! Here are a few more resources related to the film. Today in History: The Birth of a Nation

    Edited

    I am intrigued by the Today in History item on Primary Source Nexus, which I see was last updated just yesterday, perhaps in response to Mary's post! In fact, when I googled it in a separate window, so I could look at it while typing this comment, I realized that I had mistaken the Citizen U item highlighting the post for the actual Today in History post at the Library of Congress, which begins with primary sources highlighting the resistance to the film from both the Black community and members of the L.A. City Council. The connection between Mary's grandmother's diary entry and the film, plus the related press and debate, make for a powerful primary source set.

    The Birth of a Nation

    On February 8, 1915, D. W. Griffith’s controversial silent film, The Birth of a Nation, premiered in Los Angeles, California. Although local censors approved the film, city council members responded to concerns about the racist nature of the picture by ordering it suppressed. Released under the title, The Clansman, the movie debuted only after Griffith sought an injunction from the court.

    Cleveland [Ohio] Advocate, September 25, 1915. The African-American Experience in Ohio: Selections from the Ohio Historical Society External

    I seem to recall that for awhile, it was a bit difficult to locate Today in History, which has always been popular with educators and can be used in many ways in the classroom. Just as Chronicling America is going through a redesign and migration to loc.gov (watch for   Keith Patterson 's Tip of the Month in the upcoming Best of October 2022 newsletter), Today in History has a pleasing new look since the Library updated its format.

    You can find Today in History through a simple search from the loc.gov homepage or from the Digital Collections page. You might also want to bookmark it if you're better at organizing your bookmarks than I am! Here's the link: https://www.loc.gov/collections/today-in-history/about-this-collection/ From that page, you can search by keyword in Today in History only, so that's handy, too. What are you teaching today? Try it! 

    Also, I'm quite sure you're overestimating my influence,   Alison Noyes ! 

    Did you know it was a ROMANCE? The full title was The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the KKK.

    Apparently, the play came out in 1905 as a two-part book called The Clansman by Thomas Dixon that was drawn from two separate works called The Leopard's Spots and The Clansman.  It was adapted into a play.  Dr. John Inscoe wrote about both in 1987. 

    The Leopard's Spots was an expression of the author's outrage over a dramatic performance of Harriett Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin! 

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