The Birth of a Nation

In 1860, the Stoneman and Cameron families are part of the aristocracy, Austin Stoneman a powerful U.S. Congressman, the Cameron father a respected physician. The Stonemans live in the Pennsylvania countryside when Austin is not in Washington, while the Camerons live in Piedmont, South Carolina. Phil Stoneman and Ben Cameron, the eldest son of each respective family, are old school chums. When Phil and his younger brother Tod Stoneman visit Ben in Piedmont, Phil falls in love with Ben's eldest sister, Margaret Cameron, while Ben falls in love with the Stoneman's only sister, Elsie Stoneman, after only seeing her photograph. The Stoneman brothers' trip is cut short with the start of the Civil War. Despite being on opposing sides, the Stonemans and Camerons' friendship is not diminished, even in direct battles, which results in casualties in both families. Following the war and the assassination of President Lincoln, Austin, in a position of greater power and wanting to advance the cause of the blacks, appoints biracial Silas Lynch to rally the black vote in the south. This move is followed by the Stonemans' move to Piedmont, a more favorable climate for Austin's failing health. The move strengthens the romances between Phil and Margaret, and between Elsie and Ben. But Lynch, also based in Piedmont, has other things on his mind. An incident between a renegade black man named Gus and the Camerons' youngest daughter, Flora Cameron, begins an uprising of the Ku Klux Klan to protect the dwindling white power. The Camerons' support of the Clan threatens Elsie and Ben's relationship until...