D. W. Griffith's film "Birth of a Nation" shows that the South fought the war not only to protect slavery, but also to preserve a whole culture, a way of life. Their wealth and identity belonged to the land they lived on. Southerners fought to protect sovereignty, pride, identity, and their decision to secede which was under attack by a despot - President Lincoln. Few of the southerners could give up their culture without a fight.

"Birth of a Nation" tells the story of the Civil. One of its main missions is to portray the true southern way of life. The south was an aristocratic society. Everybody was happy and content with their everyday lives. Even slaves shown in the movie looked happy and were even dancing. They didn't look as they were going through big hardships and were oppressed by their masters. The south fought for preserving...