This is  a long and extremely important chapter, comprising 27 sections.  But as I worked through it today, I found it conceptually easier than the preceding chapters: I'd be interested in your own opinions.  Please read it with care, using the study guide below.   I would really appreciate your comments on whether this study guide helps, and how it might be improved.

Mankind  (section 24) as a group holds the earth.  This is shown both by:
 

natural reason (men once born have a right to their preservation)

and

"revelation":  In the Bible, God grants the world to Adam, Noah and (Psalm 115. 16), "the children of men."

So far so good.  Now I want you to make out for yourselves what happens.  You should be able to answer the following questions. If you cannot, consult me.

In section 27, he speaks of "commons," i.e. common land—as in Boston Common.  What is the role of "consent" in the "appropriation" of property?    Note the role of "servants":  he’s not just describing individual labor but the labor of a team or company.

Can you summarize his comments on "consent" in section 28?

What does the ocean illustrate in section 29?

In section 30, click on the dictionary connection to be sure you know the meaning of "engross."  Bookmark this connection for future use—it is quite handy, and comes with a thesaurus too.   What does the law of Nature say, for Locke, about "engrossing"?  He refers to a verse in the Bible (1 Timothy 6:17) to support this argument.   You might want to reflect on how Locke uses the Bible here and elsewhere. Does he strike you as a deeply religious individual?

Now note the next step (31), from hares and fish to the earth itself.  Here he is describing the origin of private landholdings that we "enclose from the common."  Again, Locke cites the Bible.  Historically it is important to note that agrarian enclosure by this time had excluded lots of poorer people from the ability to farm and hunt.   In section 32 it is not an issue for Locke.  How does he justify private property in sections 33 and 34?

In section 35, what limit does Locke observe on property accumulation?

Now comes a crucial move.  What two new elements in section 36 change the nature of property accumulation?  In section 37-38, what are the consequences for the "common law of Nature"?

In section 39 he recurs to the argument about Adam’s possessions already made in chapter 1, and in 40 reminds us how title to land can be gained. What single activity most justifies possession (the word occurs six times in section 40) and leads to improvement (41) of a plot of land?    In section 42, what "provisions of life" does Locke contrast with "acorns, water, and leaves, or skins"?  Which is worth more, and why? Why (section 43) does Locke then list the following items: "iron, wood, leather, bark, timber, stone, bricks, coals, lime, cloth, dyeing-drugs, pitch, tar, masts, ropes"?

In section 45, Locke relates individual property holding with national  or state land ownership.  It is worthwhile to read this section with care.  You should be able to say why he concludes that little land will "lie waste" once its inhabitants have "consented to the use of money," and how states have settled competing claims to land.    How often does this key word, consent, occur in  section 45?

In sections 46 and 47, Locke notes again the limits that should exist on property accumulation:  what are these?  Why does he say that violating these limits means "doing injury" or "invading the right of others"?  In what situation (48) is land not worth "enclosing"?

Now we come to a famous sentence (49):

You should be able to state how Locke finishes this sentence, and what the second sentence of this section says.  What does "all the world was America" mean here?

And now comes another important conclusion.  What political and economic consequence of the introduction of money does Locke sketch out in sections 50 and 51?  How has money changed life (in his theory—this is not a work of history but a theory) for mankind?  And, what is the importance of "labor" in a world that relies on money?

***

If great oaks grow from little acorns, so, here, do good ideas.  One way to check your understanding of this chapter is to pull it up on your browser and search for the references to "acorns."  If you can explain why each instance is important, you’ll have made strides toward understanding the chapter.  Give it a shot if you want, and contact me if you have problems.
 
 

Do you have questions on this chapter?  Click here to send the teacher a note.