Representing the New World: Locke and Slavery


Locke makes two opposing statements regarding the idea of slavery, it’s position and effectiveness in society. His first idea holds the position that slaves as property are immoral and unreasonable ethics to possess. He attacks slavery and deems it a direct violation to the right of natural freedom in his essay  John Locke Two Treatises of Government. However, he counters this argument in his Second Treatise, John Locke Two Treatises of Government, by approving the ideas of slavery specifically in positions such as result of war, therefore POW’s or prisoner of war are sought acceptable and moral reasons to posses’ slaves. It is important however to note that within this second treatise Locke does not initially refer to these pow’s as slaves rather servants or captives. Does then, the substitute for the noun slave, determine the ethical morality of the matter and shift the argument entirely?
      Slavery is immoral. Reclaiming the identity and renaming it to sound more appealing and construct it to which it falsely appears as a matter of choice does not brand the idea any more moral or pleasing. When a prisoner of war becomes captive they are still enslaved to the will of their capturer. They are not present of their own will. And unless a servant is present performing duties of their own will without being forced or persuaded to do so, they are essentially a slave as well.

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