This question was asked in Words and Wordplay. I thought it would be more appropriate to ask it here. Thank you in advance.
2007-08-11 12:44:06 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
There is no difference, per se. One can often be the other. A commonwealth is just basically any kind of a semi-independent or self-governing territory. Some of our states are referred to as commonwealths because that's what they were called since the pre-revolutionary era before they became states. It's just a tradition that makes them look unique on paper, but makes no real legal difference whatsoever for them. It's the same thing as when people refer to the state of Texas as a "republic". However, Puerto Rico is specifically a commonwealth but not a state (they have no representation in the U.S. congress nor are their residents allowed to vote for President, but they don't have to pay any federal income taxes either).
2007-08-11 14:38:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on how you define Commonwealth. Pennsylvania, Virgina, and like 4 other States are Commonwealths. That is mostly just an official title though. If I am not mistaken in the case of the U.S. and the "50" States it has no meaning anymore. On the other hand Puerto Rico is officially a Commonwealth(as well as a U.S. territory) and it actually means something. So I would ask for a qualification of the question to get a better answer.
2007-08-11 14:09:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends which commonwealth you mean. For the commonwealths of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts there is no difference.
However, the commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas don't have the federal respresentation that a full state has.
2007-08-11 13:11:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Aha - Words and Wordplay
A Commonwealth Divides the decision powers into the zones/counties and technically should poll the people of those zones before each vote at a state level. Meaning the people of a zone make their representitive vote the way they determine and not as the rep wants to. I guess there were people afraid they wouldn't vote like the people they represent wanted them to.
2007-08-11 18:14:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No functional difference in the US.
4 states use the word "Commonwealth" in their official name.
By literal terminology, a commonwealth is any political body composed of smaller independent bodies -- such as counties within a state -- but that terminology is not literally correct to its current usage in the US.
2007-08-11 12:55:49 · answer #5 · answered by coragryph 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have lived in MN a real state, and VA a commonwealth state where all the rules are backwards and they make it extremely hard for the average person to get by or excel.
2007-08-11 13:45:58 · answer #6 · answered by The Unshushable 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
A commonwealth is simply the people that live in a particular state. I'm sure you know what a state is.
2007-08-11 12:55:09 · answer #7 · answered by chilicooker_mkb 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋