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kelly's avatar

Why are some states known as commonwealths?

Asked by kelly (1926points) April 19th, 2007
Virginia, Kentucky, maybe others show the state title as "The Commonwealth of Virginia, or Kentucky, etc" Why do they title it that way?
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2 Answers

bpeoples's avatar
They're not states, they're commonwealths. So technically, the US is 46 states and four commonwealths. They have a "government based on the common consent of the people". Basically, four states (VA, PA, MA, and later KY when it split from VA) wanted to emphasize that they were not ruled by an authoritarian ruler.
bpeoples (2551points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
bpeoples's avatar
(Ergo, there is no difference in practice, but the term "state" still held some implication of an authoritarian ruler, so the states wanted to emphasize that they weren't)
bpeoples (2551points)“Great Answer” (0points) Flag as…

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