Why did D.W. Griffith oppose film censorship after the release of The Birth of a Nation?

D.W. Griffith became an ardent opponent of film censorship following the widespread public outcry, protests, and riots that occurred after the release of his 1915 film, The Birth of a Nation.123

While the film was celebrated for its technical innovations, it was simultaneously condemned for its overt racism and its positive portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan. As cities and states began to censor or ban the film in response to the resulting social unrest, Griffith fought back against these restrictions. In 1915, he published a pamphlet titled The Rise and Fall of Free Speech in America, in which he vilified the practice of censorship.23415

Griffith’s opposition to censorship was rooted in his belief that such practices were a flaw that endangered civilization. He subsequently directed the epic film Intolerance (1916) as a cinematic polemic against the societal intolerance he felt was being directed toward his work and as a broader response to his critics.456