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When ‘Birth Of A Nation’ Was Screened In The White House
Woodrow Wilson and the south rising again.
“Segregation is not a humiliation but a benefit, and ought to be so regarded by you gentlemen.” — Woodrow Wilson
When Woodrow Wilson became the 28th President of the United States in 1913, he was the first Southerner elected to the office since Zachary Taylor in 1848. Andrew Johnson of Tennessee assumed office after Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Washington DC was heavily segregated except in one area, the federal government, which had been integrated since Reconstruction. Wilson ended that and re-segregated the federal government to the applause of many who celebrated the return of Southern values to the Capitol.
Wilson brought a cadre of political leaders from the Old South with him that not only influenced his two terms but for decades. His son-in-law, Secretary of the Treasury William McAdoo, brought back segregated restrooms in federal buildings. Screens divided Black and white workers, and Black workers found they could no longer advance in civil service positions. When Black leaders came to the White House to protest the changes, Wilson treated them rudely and told them they were better off segregated.
