Thoreau asserts that although a man need not actively participate in the eradication of an enormous wrong, it "…is his duty, at least, to wash your hands of it, and if he no longer thinks about it, not practically give him your support” (Thoreau). Here it is evident that Thoreau believes in refusing to support any unjust laws, whether actively or passively, through actions such as paying government taxes. Thoreau believes that the worth of the individual should not and cannot be compromised by the goals of a governmental institution. It argues that everyone has a moral responsibility to challenge and rebel against laws or actions that allow injustice to fall on the heads of others. Thoreau also expresses the importance of being willing to go to prison in the pursuit of civil disobedience and just practices for all, an idea extremely important in most forms of nonviolent civil disobedience. He writes: “Under a government that imprisons anyone unjustly, the true place for a just man is also prison” (Thoreau). This statement is embodied by Gandhi and Bonhoeffer but is particularly relevant to King. African Americans in the American South were often imprisoned for minor offenses that many found so ridiculous that they referred to the crimes as "walking while black." The civil rights movement marked an era in which thousands of people were unjustly imprisoned, and Thoreau's sentiment rings especially true in the context of Dr. King's life and work. Nonetheless, the willingness to go to prison played an important role in the work of the three men covered in our course, and it is clear that this willingness to risk incarceration gives great power and influence to a non-partisan movement. violent. Through Thoreau's concepts of action against unjust laws and action in pursuit of justice, we can begin to