Nelson, Torlef2023-06-272023-06-271948-06https://hdl.handle.net/1794/28447105 pagesThe period from 1837 to 1854 has been styled by Jean Rogers Commons as the most loquacious in the history of the 19th century. Certainly the variety of reforms and reformers, emerging during those years, tended to substantiate such a generalization. The Panic of 1837 marked a transition in the struggle for equal rights from the political to the social and economic arena, a transition in which the influence of the numerous off brand movements was particularly strong. Significantly, a large part of that influence was exerted in the direction of modifying or changing the existing status of property. The reaction of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 brought the reform movement back into the political realm. The Republican Party, which emerged, had served to integrate some of the forces of discontent. In the following pages, an attempt will be made to represent some of these reflections on property from the standpoint of their historical origins, development, and effect. The interpretations of property, which have been used, are descriptive rather than legalistic in nature. These descriptive interpretations seem better adapted to a discussion of property in its relationships to the rather tempestuous reform movements. In consequence of the necessity of limiting the scope of the paper, the movements discussed have been limited to those of Owenism, Association, and land reform. In addition, it has been necessary to limit the treatment of men and ideas to a select few. While these choices are somewhat arbitrary, an effort has been made to choose those who wrote prominently on the subject or who offer a measure of contrast.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USThe Land Reform MovementOwenismEvans and GreeleyThesis / Dissertation