Question

“What warrant [right] have we to take that land, which is and hath been of long time possessed [by] others . . . ?

“That which is common to all is proper to none. [Native Americans] ruleth over many lands without title or property; for they enclose [fence in] no ground, neither have they cattle to maintain it. . . . And why may not Christians have liberty to go and dwell amongst them in their waste[d] lands and woods (leaving them such places as they have [fertilized] for their corn) . . . ? For God hath given to the sons of men a twofold right to the earth; there is a natural right and a civil [political] right. The first right was natural when men held the earth in common, every man sowing and feeding where he pleased. Then, as men and cattle increased, they appropriated some parcels of ground by enclosing [them as property] . . . and this in time got them a civil right.”
In your response, be sure to address all parts of the question. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable.

Using the excerpt, answer (a), (b), and (c).


Briefly identify ONE historical situation in which the excerpt was produced.

Briefly describe ONE argument made in the excerpt.

Briefly identify ONE historical effect of the development described in the excerpt.

Answer 1

A. The excerpt was produced in the 17th century during the colonization of the Americas.

B. The argument made in the excerpt is that Christians have a right to settle in the lands of Native Americans because they have no title or property to the land due to their lack of enclosing it, despite the fact that they already possess the land.

C. The historical effect of the development described in the excerpt was the displacement of Native Americans from their ancestral lands and the emergence of private property, which led to more structured political systems like governments based on land ownership.