Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts is officially named "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts" by its constitution. The name "State of Massachusetts Bay" was used in all acts and resolves up to 1780 and the first draft of the constitution. The current name can be traced to the second draft of the state constitution, which was written by John Adams and ratified in 1780.
In Massachusetts, the term State is occasionally used in an official manner, but usually in a compound structure rather than as a stand-alone noun. This is evident in the name of the agency "Massachusetts State Police," the Massachusetts State House and in "Bridgewater State Hospital".
Read more about this topic: Commonwealth (U.S. State)
Famous quotes containing the words commonwealth of and/or commonwealth:
“We must conceive of this whole universe as one commonwealth of which both gods and men are members.”
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