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The Birth of a Nation: Media and Racial Hate

Author

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  • Desmond Ang

Abstract

This paper documents the impact of popular media on racial hate by examining the first American blockbuster: 1915's The Birth of a Nation, a fictional portrayal of the KKK's founding rife with racist stereotypes. Exploiting the film's five-year "road show," I find a sharp spike in lynchings and race riots coinciding with its arrival in a county. Instrumenting for road show destinations using the location of theaters prior to the movie's release, I show that the film significantly increased local Klan support in the 1920s. Road show counties continue to experience higher rates of hate crimes and hate groups a century later.

Suggested Citation

  • Desmond Ang, 2023. "The Birth of a Nation: Media and Racial Hate," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(6), pages 1424-1460, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:113:y:2023:i:6:p:1424-60
    DOI: 10.1257/aer.20201867
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Alex Armand & Paul Atwell & Joseph F. Gomes & Yannik Schenk, 2023. "It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane, it’s Superman! Using Mass Media to fight Intolerance," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2023012, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    2. Petach, Luke, 2024. "That Old Time Religion: Christianity and Black Economic Progress After Reconstruction," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1480, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Faguet, Jean-Paul & Matajira, Camilo & Sánchez, Fabio, 2024. "Encomienda, the colonial state, and long-run development in Colombia," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122257, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Robert Kaestner, 2023. "A Critique of " The Birth of a Nation : Media and Racial Hate"," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 20(2), pages 214–233-2, September.
    5. Beach, Brian & Hanlon, W. Walker, 2023. "Historical newspaper data: A researcher’s guide," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N41 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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