Aim: To investigate whether claims to property can legitimise territorial expansion.
Case study: Throughout the essay I will focus upon he colonisation of America, with the aim of concluding whether the desire for land, held by the colonial power, could be used to legitimise the events that took place.
Philosophers: Locke, Nozick, Hobbes, Hegel, Radin, Grotius
Objectives:
– To investigate the concept of property amongst native Americans.
– To assess whether the European powers had any legitimate claim to the land.
– Can the colonial power’s desire for property ever legitimise the events that took place?