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The First Movie Screened at the White House Was the Infamous ‘The Birth of a Nation’

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Learn the fascinating history behind the first movie to be screened at the White House: The Birth of a Nation, an infamous and racist film that sparked large protests and was partially credited with the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1910s and 1920s.
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Here’s a fascinating article from the Washington Times, printed on April 22nd, 1916. For those of you unfamiliar with The Birth of a Nation, it’s a crazy racist film which was banned in a number of American cities, sparked large protests, and was partially credited with the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1910s and 1920s.

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Source: Library of Congress

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For some interesting White House trivia … this was the first movie screened in the Executive Mansion, while Woodrow Wilson was in office.

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