Culture in the Jim Crow Era

1. Are you shocked by these accounts of public torture and lynching?
   • If not, why not?
   • If so, what do you find most shocking? (the methods? the audience? the atmosphere? the quasi-official character of the proceedings?)
2. What link does the author of this section suggest between the film The Clansmen (a.k.a., The Birth of a Nation) and these events? 
   • Does this make sense to you? 
   • Why or why not?
3. What is meant by the term “the power of fiction?” 
4. What is the relationship between cultural expressions (film, television, literature, perhaps video games) and actual events? 
   • Do they encourage, model, sanction similar behavior? 
   • Why or why not? 
   • Offer a few modern examples to support your position. 
5. In 1915, educated and high-minded viewers praised Birth of a Nation. Today, we condemn the film’s historical inaccuracy and racist message. What contemporary cultural expression will future generations condemn in similar fashion? 
6. Is there a movie, television show, song, or video game that future analysts will criticize and perhaps cite as a contributor to current social problems?