History of Private Property

[ontheyslay]

I've been doing some research as to when the current form of private property came into existence, especially in the United States. In the US, did private property come into existence when the first settlers came here, or was it some time after. Was this land stolen, were the owners coerced into giving it to others, etc. If anyone has any insight on this, I would greatly appreciate it.

[vulemdal]

It seems like private property and our current capitalist mode became popular at the same time as Protestantism. Look up John Calvin if you haven't already. I found a link with some interesting stuff, but the forum rules don't allow me to post the link.

Among the more interesting paragraphs...

Calvin was a French theologian whose concept of predestination was revolutionary. Central to Calvinist belief was the Elect, those persons chosen by God to inherit eternal life. All other people were damned and nothing could change that since God was unchanging. While it was impossible to know for certain whether a person was one of the Elect, one could have a sense of it based on his own personal encounters with God. Outwardly the only evidence was in the person's daily life and deeds, and success in one's worldly endeavors was a sign of possible inclusion as one of the Elect. A person who was indifferent and displayed idleness was most certainly one of the damned, but a person who was active, austere, and hard-working gave evidence to himself and to others that he was one of God's chosen ones (Tilgher, 1930).

Using profits to help others rise from a lessor level of subsistence violated God's will since persons could only demonstrate that they were among the Elect through their own labor (Lipset, 1990).

Selection of an occupation and pursuing it to achieve the greatest profit possible was considered by Calvinists to be a religious duty. Not only condoning, but encouraging the pursuit of unlimited profit was a radical departure from the Christian beliefs of the middle ages. In addition, unlike Luther, Calvin considered it appropriate to seek an occupation which would provide the greatest earnings possible. If that meant abandoning the family trade or profession, the change was not only allowed, but it was considered to be one's religious duty (Tilgher, 1930).

From a marxist view, what actually occurred was the development of a religious base of support for a new industrial system which required workers who would accept long hours and poor working conditions (Anthony, 1977; Berenstein, 1988).

Just search for 'john calvin private property' and click the result titled 'History of Work Ethic'.