How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation.
Quote #1
INTERTITLE: If in this work we have conveyed to the mind the ravages of war to the end that war may be held in abhorrence, this effort will not have been in vain.
According to Griffith, the primary purpose of The Birth of a Nation is to expose the horrors of war. And that's not entirely inaccurate for the first half of the film, though the second half devolves into straight-up racism. Still, we'd be lying if we said that this wasn't a key aspect of the movie. It's well worth studying.
Quote #2
[Lincoln wipes his eyes after signing the order requesting the first volunteers for the Union army.]
Lincoln is portrayed as going into the Civil War regretfully, which is pretty close to the historical reality. He tries numerous ways to ease the tension between the two sides before his hand is forced and the war begins.
Quote #3
[The Stoneman brothers share a playful goodbye with their sister, Elsie. She becomes distraught when they walk away.]
Elsie puts on a strong front for her brothers, but has an emotional breakdown once the reality of the situation sinks in. The two brothers are so high machismo and nationalism that they don't understand the horror that they're walking into.