THE HORNBOOK OF VIRIGINIA HISTORY, 4th edition Emily J Salmon & Edward D C Campbell, Jr (eds) "A commonwealth is 'a state in which the supreme power is vested in the people.' The term as an official designation was first used in Virginia during the Interregnum (1649-1660), the period between the reigns of Charles I and Charles II during which Parliament's Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector established a republican government known as the Commonwealth of England. Virginia became a royal colony again in 1660, and the word commonwealth was dropped from the governor's full title. When Virginia adopted its first constitution in 1776, the term commonwealth was reintroduced, most of the people united for the common good, or common weal. The designation commonwealth of Virginia has been used in official records ever since. Three states besides Virginia adopted the appellation commonwealth: Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania." (page 88) Leslie Anderson Morales Reference Librarian Special Collections Alexandria Library 717 Queen Street Alexandria, VA 22314-2420 (703) 838-4577 x213 http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/branches/lhsc.html [log in to unmask] wrote: >I've often wondered about this -- why are VA, PA, MA, and KY commonwealths and the rest of the states of the union are states? >I'm assuming KY inherited its commonwealth-ness from VA. > >I was looking at the early laws of Virginia -- the titles go from "In the 12th year of King George III" to "Interregnum" -- in 1775 -- well before the actual death of George III -- but surely after the battles of Lexington and Concord -- to "In the first year of the commonwealth." So the laws of Virginia actually predate statehood. > >Maybe Maryland's laws predate statehood, but there is no such title at the top of each page...http://www.aomol.net/html/legislative.html > >Neither is there a title at the top of each page of North Carolina's laws (see google books -- link is too long). > >Joe McCollum >Information Technology Specialist >Forest Inventory and Analysis >Knoxville, TN 37919 > > > > >_____________________________________________________________ >Click here to find all of your computer accessories for less! >http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2111/fc/Ioyw6iifZCJG619uBn4CaqHSy8c1er8QgpyHCe4fvIXotDtd3C3g4a/?count=1234567890 > >______________________________________ >To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at >http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > > > > ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html