You aren’t kidding John. Jefferson mentioned that Locke’s writings were among the most basic works of public right that people ought to read (he coupled Locke with Aristotle and Sydney).
But I just got done slogging through the Virginia constitutional convention debates of 1829-30 and wouldn’t you know: Locke’s state of nature theory was quite the debated topic. A majority, if not all, the statesmen of the time knew Locke and could quote him at length. Could you imagine such a debate today in the North Carolina General Assembly?
