Recently I transferred the title of one of my dad's vehicles (he lived in Pennsylvania) to my name (I live in Illinois). The top of the title was printed “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” What's up with this "Commonwealth" stuff, I wondered?
A Commonwealth is defined as a community of people acting in common interest and those people hold the power. The term is derived from a royal system of government. Since these four states were among the earliest admitted to the Union, they were likely adopting or mimicking the British use of the term.
There are 4 “Commonwealth States” within the US:
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Pennsylvania
Since these states had to ratify the Constitution in order to be admitted to the Union, the use of the term "Commonwealth" is historic and has no meaning politically or judicially. It is a synonym for "State."
There is another Commonwealth worth mentioning: The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is not a state, of course, but a protectorate. Puerto Ricans are US citizens and elect their own governor every four years but can't vote in national elections and don't have representation in Congress.
Charlie