When ‘Birth Of A Nation’ Was Screened In The White House
Woodrow Wilson and the south rising again.
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“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.
“Segregation is not a humiliation but a benefit, and ought to be so regarded by you gentlemen.” — Woodrow Wilson
On February 18, 1915, “The Birth of a Nation” became the first movie to be shown inside the White House. It was shown to members of Wilson’s family and selected Cabinet members, along with Director D.W. Griffith and the writer of the book the film was based on, The Clansman, Thomas Dixon Jr. The Clansman had been a bestseller since it was published in 1905. Dixon attended graduate school at Johns Hopkins University with Woodrow Wilson and was responsible for Wilson receiving an honorary degree from Wake Forest. Dixon’s book, “The Southerner,” was dedicated to Wilson in 1913 after Wilson won the election.
After numerous protests after the White House screening, including from a Massachusetts Congressman and former Attorney General, an aide wrote a response saying Wilson was “entirely unaware of the character of the movie before it was…
