why are some state called common wealth and other are not?

Answer 1

Four states call themselves "commonwealths" -- Kentucky, Massachusettes, Pennsylvania, and Virgina. The word has no special governmental meaning. It is just that those states wanted to emphasize that they are governed for the common good by the common consent of its citizens.

"the word Commonwealth was the preferred term among political writers for a whole body of people constituting a nation or state. There may have been some anti-monarchic sentiment informing the use of the word Commonwealth, which was also used to mean 'republic.'"

Answer 2

Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

In these cases, this is merely a name and has no constitutional impact. They thus emphasize that they have a "government based on the common consent of the people", instead of a government legitimized through their earlier Royal Colony status that was derived from the King of England. The transition occurred in 1776, when the need arose to express a change in their legal status consistent with the Revolutionary War. Kentucky was a county of Virginia at this time, but chose to retain the Commonwealth descriptor when it became a separate state.

Answer 3

It's just an old fashioned term they like to keep alive.

Commonwealth
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The English noun Commonwealth dates originally from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of 'wealth' which is 'well-being'. The term literally meant "common well-being". Thus commonwealth originally meant a state governed for the common good as opposed to an authoritarian state governed for the benefit of a given class of owners, including even despots.

Today the term is more general and means a political community.

The type of community indicated by the term commonwealth varies. For instance, in different contexts it might indicate:

a political unit founded in law by agreement of the people for the common good;
a federated union of constituent states;
a community of sovereign states;
a republic;
a democratic constitutional monarchy;
a Co-operative Commonwealth is a society based on cooperative and socialist principles.

Answer 4

because the state government is different. The main thing is the government does not go into debt. They use other creative ways to finance projects which is still technically debt, but the government isn' supposed to borrow money.

Answer 5

like pennsylvania..? A state governed for the common good.

Answer 6

Because some are commonwealths and others are states.

Kinda like asking why some pets are called cats and others are called dogs.

Answer 7

Because some states are actually commonwealths.