Commonwealth (U.S. State)

Commonwealth (U.S. State)

Four of the constituent states of the United States of America officially use the name "Commonwealth". These states are Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

This designation, which has no constitutional impact, emphasizes that they have a "government based on the common consent of the people" as opposed to one legitimized through their earlier royal colony status that was derived from the King of Great Britain. The word commonwealth in this context refers to the common "wealth", or welfare, of the public and is derived from a loose translation of the Latin term res publica (cf. the 17th-century Commonwealth of England).

The use of the term also derives from the use of English common law in the North American colonies. Some vestiges of the influence of common law can still be found in some legal concepts and principles in the Commonwealths, particularly in Virginia with its independent cities, which have their origin in the old English shire system, which was a part of how early Virginia was organized.

Besides the four aforementioned states, other states may also, on occasion, use the term "commonwealth" to refer to themselves. The State of Vermont, for instance, uses the term "Commonwealth" three times in its constitution, interchangeably with the term "State". Delaware also called itself a "Commonwealth" in its 1776 constitution.