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What is the difference between a US 'commonwealth' and a state?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
To the best of my knowledge there really isn't one. It is a historical naming issue. In the early days of colonization, commonwealth was practically synonymous with 'republic' or 'state'. Some preferred the term because they liked the implied meaning better. But I do not believe there is any meningful distinction that differentiates a commonwealth from a state. However, in modern parlance, there is a tendency to use the term commonwealth to refer to a government with local autonomy but which is a protectorate of some other nation as is the case with US held territories like Puerto Rico. However this modern spin on the word should not be taken as implying any legal distinction between US states which are commonwealths vs states that are not.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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What is the difference between a 'commonwealth' and a 'state' In a commonwealth landowners do not possess mineral or oil rights to their land. They don't actually own their land but own its use.?
Numerous definitions can be applied to the term commonwealth. In its loosest form, commonwealth means for the common or public good, and is often a state formed for the common good of the people. The term commonwealth can also apply to a group of nations that have a loose alliance for the good of all members of each nation. Several US states have commonwealth designation. These are Virginia, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. The commonwealth designation was important as these states originally defined their governance in direct opposition to the governance of the British Empire. The designation now lacks meaning and has merely been retained as a salute to the past history of rebellion that freed the US from British rule. google_ad_request_done.current_ad_block = 1; google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); Some US territories are also organized as commonwealths. These territories, like Puerto Rico, are not entitled to the same rights and benefits as recognized states. For example Puerto Rico's designation as a commonwealth implies an ongoing relationship with the US, but does not imply statehood.
What is one difference between state and federal courts in the US?
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What does commonwealth state mean?
A commonwealth is any political entity that was founded on law and united by a compact for the good of the people.# The people of a nation or state; the body politic.# A nation or state governed by the people; a republic.# Commonwealth## Used to refer to some U.S. states, namely, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.## Used to refer to a self-governing, autonomous political unit voluntarily associated with the United States, namely, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.# An international association such as The Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth) or the Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Republics).# The English state and government from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, including the Protectorate of 1653 to 1659.# Archaic. The public good; commonweal.
The difference between the state of Illinois Constitution and the US Constitution?
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Is Arkansas a commonwealth state?
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Is Virginia a state or commonwealth?
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Is Hawaii british commonwealth?
No. It is a US state, and as such, could not be a member of the Commonwealth.
What is Massachusetts?
A US State (or Commonwealth).
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What is the relationship between US and Puerto Rico?
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What is meant by commonwealths as opposed to states in the US?
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Is Puerto Rico one state of US?
Puerto Rico is not the state of US ,it is a self-governing commonwealth associated with the United States.
