Broad Historical Epic

The Birth of a Nation tells a lot of stories.

For the most part, however, it focuses on two families: the Camerons and the Stonemans. The first part of the film shows each family become involved with different sides of the Civil War, while the second part shows them adapt to Reconstruction in different ways.

Actually, The Birth of a Nation is pretty innovative here: it was one of the first films to cut between scenes of simultaneous action to heighten narrative tension. This is used to great effect as the film goes on, especially during the climactic closing battle.

Along with this family story, we're also shown the broader societal forces at play during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era. We see Abraham Lincoln chilling with his groupies. We see meetings at the South Carolina state legislature. We see trippy symbolic representations of War being defeated by Jesus. This is Griffith's way of expanding the scope of his narrative beyond simple human stories to larger historical and cultural movements.