Birth of a Nation (1983 film)

Birth of a Nation is a made-for-television movie broadcast on NBC in 1983. It is a biographical drama about the early life and career of civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr.

The film stars Cecily Tyson as Coretta Scott King and Morgan Freeman as Martin Luther King Jr. It chronicles Coretta's childhood in rural Alabama, her education, her meeting and courtship with Martin, and their involvement in the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. The film portrays her as an intelligent, strong-willed, and politically engaged partner in the movement, rather than solely as the wife of a prominent leader.

Birth of a Nation was directed by Richard Friesenberg and written by Rose Leiman Goldemberg. It received generally positive reviews, with particular praise given to Tyson's performance. The film has been noted for its attempt to portray Coretta Scott King as an individual with her own agency and convictions, rather than a supporting character in her husband's story. While it shares a title with the controversial 1915 film by D.W. Griffith, the 1983 production has no thematic or narrative connection to it. The title choice was intended to signify a new beginning for the nation regarding racial equality.