A Fast Literature Search Engine based on top-quality journals, by Dr. Mingze Gao.

  • Topic classification is ongoing.
  • Please kindly let me know [mingze.gao@mq.edu.au] in case of any errors.

The Birth of a Nation: Media and Racial Hate

Resource type
Author/contributor
Title
The Birth of a Nation: Media and Racial Hate
Abstract
This paper documents the impact of popular media on racial hate by examining the first American blockbuster: 1915's The Birth of a Nation, a fictional portrayal of the KKK's founding rife with racist stereotypes. Exploiting the film's five-year "road show," I find a sharp spike in lynchings and race riots coinciding with its arrival in a county. Instrumenting for road show destinations using the location of theaters prior to the movie's release, I show that the film significantly increased local Klan support in the 1920s. Road show counties continue to experience higher rates of hate crimes and hate groups a century later.
Publication
American Economic Review
Volume
113
Issue
6
Pages
1424-60
Date
2023-06
Citation
Ang, D. (2023). The Birth of a Nation: Media and Racial Hate. American Economic Review, 113, 1424–1460.
Link to this record