Democracy: a for profit enterprise

The United States has the oldest continuous democracy in the world. It was introduced by a British company to the country. Back then, the revolutionary idea was an employer perk. Democracy was something like free onsite gym classes at Google.

At the turn of the 17th century, England’s resources were badly depleted following the Anglo-Spanish War. Hoping to discover more gold and silver, King James I. encouraged English merchants to establish colonies in America and chartered The Virginia Company, in 1601.

However, the Crown soon faced an insufficient number of people willing to settle in James Town (named after the King), in Virginia. As such, when Edwyn Sandys — a Member of the House of Commons who advocated mutual rights between king and people — became the treasurer of the Virginia Company in London, he needed to develop new strategies to make people migrate voluntarily. This was in 1619.

Sandys offered individuals more favorable conditions in Virginia through land grants and democratic rights. In the Virginia Company settlers could create a council to craft their own laws. The council at James Town was called the House of Burgesses.

The first democratic assembly of European settlers in North America took place between 30 July and August 4, 1619. It was composed of the governor and the council, who had been chosen by the Virginia Company, and two representatives from 11 different settlements.

The Virginia Company struggled to survive. It went into debt and failed in 1624. But the right to self-government in the colony persisted and the spirit of democracy thrived.