Quote 5

“The inspiration.”

The birth of the Ku Klux Klan follows this intertitle. Ben Cameron writhes in solitude on a scenic hill overlooking a gorgeous expanse of the South and wonders how he can free it again. His inspiration comes right around the corner in the form of two outnumbered white children scaring a group of black children by donning a white sheet. Immediately, the black children go running. Magically, the Ku Klux Klan forms fully in the space between two shots. Whereas we see all the struggles of the South as it suffers under Silas Lynch’s rule, here the solution arrives almost out of nowhere. Ben is never shown laboring to find supporters or confused about which direction to take the group.