John Locke’s discussion of labor in Two Treatises of Government has been one of the most analyzed pieces of writing since it first appeared, to the point that it is regarded as the standard justification of property within the liberal tradition. Regardless of whether one approves or disapproves of his view, the familiarity of what he says has led to a loss of appreciation regarding just how novel, and controversial, his argument actually is. In this chapter I will attempt to reconstruct not only Locke’s argument, but the historical context within which he wrote, to highlight how radical his view was. Then I will recount the reception of his work by later scholars, to clarify what his contribution to political and economic thought has been. My goal will be to specify what is—and what remains—innovative about Locke’s discussion, so as to capture the distinctive traits of an argument that continue to warrant our attention.