Skip to main content
Back to Show
Independent Lens

Birth of a Movement - The Clansman - Clip

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Birth of a Movement, director D.W. Griffith, "at the top of his game," is introduced to the book The Clansman by Thomas Dixon. When The Clansman became a stage play, its pro-KKK, "viciously racist" point of view resulted in protests and race riots -- foreshadowing what was to come when Griffith adapted it into the film The Birth of a Nation.

Support Provided By
Season
If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis
25:43
With rural hospitals closing, meet the people trying to get help in healthcare deserts.
Greener Pastures
1:24:54
Midwestern families deal with unseen mental health issues affecting farmers in America.
Women's Stories
1:24:13
Women and LGBTQ+ journalists launch startup The 19th* to buck a broken news media system.
Sister Úna Lived a Good Death
55:23
A nun with stage IV cancer teaches others that death doesn’t have to be the end.
Razing Liberty Square
1:23:30
A public housing community in Miami becomes ground zero for climate gentrification.
Racist Trees
1:23:49
In Palm Springs, a Black neighborhood fights to remove a divisive wall of trees.
Changemakers
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:51:55
The gripping story of families who risk everything escaping North Korea.
A Town Called Victoria | All Episodes
54:42
As the trial concludes, the people of Victoria, Texas, grapple with shocking revelations.
A Town Called Victoria | Episode 2
54:12
The town of Victoria’s support for the Muslim community wanes as rebuilding efforts stall.
A Town Called Victoria | Episode 1
54:41
A Texas town is thrown into the national spotlight when a local mosque erupts in flames.
Three Chaplains
55:43
Muslim chaplains advocate for equality in the military.
El Equipo
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:25:42
A collaboration changes the course of forensic science and international human rights.
Active loading indicator