David Ariosto
In 1606, a group of English merchants, nobles and adventurers decided they needed three transatlantic ships to pursue riches in the “New World.” Rivals Spain, France and Portugal had already amassed immense wealth across Latin America, and England’s King James I was looking to catch up. The crown, however, was also wary of risking public money. So, in order to finance the effort, the men formed what became known as the Virginia Company, a joint-stock group that allowed investors to pool their money and fund voyages to a narrow peninsula with a freshwater source near the Chesapeake Bay.
King James granted the company a royal charter, giving it the power to devise its own leadership and establish England’s first permanent colony in the New World. Governance would come in the form of a corporate entity, with early colonists effectively employees whose rights and responsibilities were often dictated by company policies. Ultimate authority resided with the king, embodied in a governing council that wielded authority over local matters. But overarching control would more practically tree back to the company in London, whose influence touched virtually every aspect of colonial life.
If history is any guide, this may also be how the first Martian settlements are established.
With President Donald Trump beginning his second term, buttressed by the CEO of the world’s most powerful private space company, humanity’s corporate-driven future on the Red Planet may be closer than ever before. During his second inaugural address, President Trump promised to “pursue our Manifest Destiny into the stars,” and send astronauts to plant the American flag on Mars.
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