Commonwealth (U.S. state)

For U.S. insular areas that designate themselves as "Commonwealths", see Commonwealth (U.S. insular area).

The four U.S. states (highlighted in green) that are designated Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
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Commonwealth is a term used by four of the 50 states of the United States in their full official state names: Kentucky,[1] Massachusetts,[2] Pennsylvania,[3] and Virginia.[4] "Commonwealth" is a traditional English term used to describe a political community as having been founded for the common good, and shares some similarities with the Latin phrase "res publica" ('the public thing') from which ultimately is derived the word republic.[5]

The four states are all in the Eastern United States, and prior to the formation of the United States in 1776 were British colonial possessions, although Kentucky did not exist as an independent polity under British rule, instead being a part of colonial Virginia. As such, they share a strong influence of English common law in some of their laws and institutions.[6][7] However, the "commonwealth" appellation has no legal or political significance, and it does not make "commonwealth" states any different from other U.S. states.

  1. ^ "Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky". apps.legislature.ky.gov. Legislative Research Commission. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  2. ^ "Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". Preamble of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Court. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  3. ^ "Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  4. ^ The Hornbook of Virginia History, 4th ed., page 88.
  5. ^ "Definition of Commonwealth". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Paul Reinsch. English Common Law in the Early American colonies. Ph.D. thesis. Un. of Wisconsin. 1898.
  7. ^ William E. Nelson. The Common Law in Colonial America. Vol. I. Oxford University Press. 2008.