# US State or Commonwealth?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 21, 2000, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422 "2000-01-21T13:24:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422/1 "2000-01-21T13:24:00Z")

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What is the difference between a US State and a Commonwealth? And, which US states, besides VA & PA, also are Commonwealths?

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**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422/2 "2000-01-21T13:51:00Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002901.html](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002901.html)

The search engine seems to be functioning perfectly well…

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**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422/3 "2000-01-21T14:13:00Z")

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The previous thread addressed the difference between US states that call themselves states and US states that call themselves commonwealths (none). But to answer the other question in the OP: Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky call themselves commonwealths.

- Rick

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**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422/4 "2000-01-21T14:29:00Z")

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Sorry, busy, maybe it was too much to expect anybody to follow a link in a link?

> [@](#):
>
> Old-style CW’s, including VA, MA, PA, and KY…

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422/5 "2000-01-21T14:30:00Z")

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Thanks. Sorry, but the search engine works when it wants to for me, and I’d wager others have experienced this as well.

Obviously, it’s a “common” question.

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**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422/6 "2000-01-21T14:38:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Sorry, busy, maybe it was too much to expect anybody to follow a link in a link?

Oops. Mea culpa. Sure enough, I didn’t follow the second link. Should have, since it wasn’t to another MB thread, but to a Cecil column, which was a good clue that it would have all the answers! 🙂

My error.

- Rick

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**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-state-or-commonwealth/6422/7 "2000-01-21T23:43:00Z")

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It should be pointed out that in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, Massachusetts, Virginia and Pennsylvania, commonly styled “commonwealths,” are listed with the other ten states under the topic of congressional representation.  
And the Constitution itself went into effect when nine states, as required by Article VII, ratified it; Pennsylvania and Massachusetts had already done so when New Hampshire became the ninth _state_ and the requirement was met. Virginia had effected ratification a few days earlier, and people there celebrated with the exclamation, “The ninth state!”, the news not having arrived yet from New Hampshire. But the Constitution did not have to wait for ratification by New York and North Carolina just because Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Virginia are “Commonwealths.”