Full Idea
That a thing belongs to a person who happens to be the first to take possession of it is immediately self-evident. …This is not because he is the first, but because he is a free will.
Gist of Idea
The owner of a thing is obviously the first person to freely take possession of it
Source
Georg W.F.Hegel (Elements of the Philosophy of Right [1821], 050)
Book Reference
Hegel,Georg W.F.: 'Elements of the Philosophy of Right', ed/tr. Wood,Allen W. [CUP 1991], p.81
A Reaction
At this time they were very conscious of the native Americans. They seem to have lost their lands because they had no institution of private property, and had not asserted their ownership. I suspect Hegel of endorsing this.