How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation.
Quote #1
INTERTITLE: The bringing of the African to America planted the first seed of disunion.
It's hard to figure out what exactly Griffith is trying to say here. Is he saying that slavery was a fundamentally evil institution? Or is he somehow blaming Africans for causing the Civil War? Based on the rest of the film, we're guessing the latter.
Quote #2
[Slaves are shown dancing outside their quarters after finishing work for the day.]
We don't see much of the institution of slavery, but what little we do see is meant to show us that it isn't all that bad. To that end, slaves are depicted as being content with their lives, if not joyful.
Quote #3
INTERTITLE: The scalawag white captain influences the negro militia to follow his orders.
Throughout the movie, Griffith emphasizes the idea that Black Southerners only turn against white Southerners due to the influence of hostile white Northerners. Putting aside the patent absurdity of this idea, it's a way of taking away the agency of Black people and dehumanizing them further.