In both revolution and conventional political action something that could be called civil disobedience may play a part, but that part is subordinate to the main principles of political action. Thus, civil disobedience is a weak approach used by the subjects of law when the subject cannot or will not take up the rights and duties of the citizen. Martin Luther King defined civil disobedience as the open, nonviolent, and even allowed breaking of law with a willingness to accept the punishment. However, his distinction between just and unjust laws is unclear, and he fails to distinguish between regimes like that of the United States and regimes like that of Nazi Germany. Instead of advocating civil disobedience, black leaders should learn politics, using Frederick Douglass as an example. They should also recognize that the American political system has the capacity to do justice and thus is fundamentally sound, but that energies should be directed toward correcting the imperfections of the system. 28 reference notes.