In American History class they claimed that there were only 46 states and the other four were commonwealths. Pennsylvania was one of them. If this were so, then like the District of Columbia, they wouldn't be able to vote. Does anyone know the right answer to this?

Tabby Tom

According to the 'Encyclopaedia of Word and Phrase Origins' published by Facts on File, Massachusetts is officially called the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. But is also says that it was 'admitted to the Union in 1788 as the 6th state'. I think the four 'Commonwealths' you mention may be entities which are constitutionally states but which retain a more ancient title in their official names. After all, I believe the Californian flag still bears the legend 'California Republic', but it's undoubtedly a state. Dec 15 01, 9:58 AM

gtho4

Commonwealth vs. State Massachusetts, like Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky, is called a 'Commonwealth'. The name, which in the eighteenth century was used to mean 'republic', can be traced to the second draft of the state Constitution, written by John Adams in 1780. The people had overwhelmingly rejected the first draft of the Constitution in 1778, and in that draft the name 'State of Massachusetts-Bay' had been used. Perhaps to make it clear that the second document was altogether different from the first, Adams changed this to 'Commonwealth of Massachusetts'. Massachusetts thus became the only state in the Union to change its name. Other than the name, there is no legal difference between the four Commonwealths and any other states. http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/us-ma.html Dec 15 01, 2:39 PM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

In American History they claimed that there were only 46 states and the other four were commonwealths. I think they said Pennsylvania was one of them. If this were so, then like D.C., they wouldn't be able to vote. Does anyone know the right answer to this? In American history, only four presidents have been elected while they were serving as vice president. Who were they ? What brothers were the first in American history to appear separately on United States postage stamps? What were the only four of the contiguous 48 states that never had rhyming KBurma-Shave signs on their highways? Which four presidents of the United States were assassinated?

1 And Then There Were 99 Many people do a special quiz when they reach 100. I chose to do something special to celebrate my 99th quiz. 51-100 Tough 15 Q bookworm78 Aug 13 07 1026 plays 2 They Were Only Nominated Once Some of the best known stars have only been nominated once for academy awards never winning. In this quiz I give you their name you have to guess for which film they received their one and only nomination. Awards and Festivals Tough 10 Q oscar820 Jan 28 01 1467 plays 3 You Only Wish You Were This Cool Here is a list of 10 questions that proves Tori Amos is the coolest person on the planet. Amos, Tori Average 10 Q disarmedreamer Aug 21 04 354 plays