Manifest Destiny and Locke's idea of property

In our small discussion groups, one of the questions had us thinking about Locke's conception of property rights as applied to the historical period of Manifest Destiny even previous to the reading. Locke's thinking is that "it is by the labour that removes it out of that common state nature left it in, made his property" (294) and moreover that land that is not used for agricultural means (he specifies "pasturage, tillage, or planting") is wasted potential. In the reading we see an extrapolation of this idea -- America as symbolic of the creation of their own fate, and of being given to them specifically by holy powers for cultivation... and "for Europeans, land not occupied by recognized members of Christendom was theoretically land free to be taken" (4). So, these two combine to create what would become the mass pile into America. We see the idea from Locke of unused land's waste and the righteousness of them putting it to use, as well as the ownership that that conveys. Of course, we understand now that it was less unused land and more that those using it were less invested in what would be recognizable to Europeans agricultural means -- where do the Native American societies fit into Locke's estimation of land use? Any of the other numerous ways of living that don't necessarily mean that "pasturage, tillage, planting"? The justification for the theft of land from Native Americans was explicitly cited from Locke's idea (though not solely Locke): "Indians were hunters and gatherers and... the land was therefore empty, a "waste" for the taking" (13). (It is important to note though that the reading mentions that nomadism was not a pan-tribal trait, and in those situations where the land could be considered as their property thanks to agriculture this was completely ignored or even painted as being a breakage of treaties.)