Locke theorized just-war slavery to reconcile slavery with consensual government

Evidence

Between all his colonial and medical duties, by July 1671 Locke had written the first draft of his lasting philosophical monument, An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. Over the next two decades, he revised and expanded the essay before its grand appearance in four books in 1689. That year, Locke also released his Two Treatises of Government, attacking monarchy, requesting a “government with the consent of the governed,” and distinguishing between temporary “servants” and “slaves, who being captives taken in a just war, are by the right of nature subjected to the absolute dominion and arbitrary power of their masters.” Just as Richard Baxter had pushed his “voluntary slave” theory to defend slavery in his free Christian society, John Locke pushed his “just war” theory to defend slavery in his free civil society. — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 118

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s core thesis: a freedom-loving philosopher produces a just-war theory to defend slavery in his free society — policy rationalized after the fact, exactly Kendi’s inversion. Echoes Richard Baxter’s voluntary-slave theory raised earlier in this book.
• DEFINE: Defines Locke’s ‘just war’ theory of slavery: captives taken in a just war are by right of nature subject to absolute dominion of masters.