The Birth of a Race is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by John W. Noble. It was made as a response to the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, and was meant to discredit the negative stereotypes perpetuated by the film. Initially, it was intended to be a short answer film that could be appended to The Birth of a Nation in 1915 but a combination of weak financial backing and growing ambitions delayed its completion for more than two years.When finally released in December 1918, following the end of World War I, The Birth of a Race was a two-hour feature-length film, portraying the achievements of black people through history. It premiered in Chicago in December, 1918, to great ballyhoo but was a commercial and critical failure.This film is preserved at the Library of Congress.