[PW] Commonwealths

[Hilary Caws-Elwitt]

As a Pennsylvania librarian, I not infrequently get questions about what 
the difference is between a commonwealth and a state. Really there is no 
difference, but that's not what people want to hear, so often the same 
person will come back a year later and say "I never could find the 
answer..." Sometimes I fantasize about making something up ("in a 
commonwealth, lawyers must always genuflect before approaching a 
judge"), which would probably satisfy them. :*)

--
Hilary Caws-Elwitt, Systems & Public Services Librarian
Community Information Network Administrator/Programmer
Susquehanna County Library, 2 Monument Sq, Montrose PA 18801
Phone 570-278-1881 -- Fax 570-278-9336
info at susqcolibrary.org -- http://www.susqcolibrary.org
info at susquehannaCIN.net -- http://www.susquehannaCIN.net



SJVIS, Reference wrote:
> The usage "Great State of ..." is rhetorical, but the usage
> "Commonwealth of .." is official and is used for the following states:
> PENNSYLVANIA, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Virginia, according to the
> World Book Encyclopedia. 
>
> As an example, here's an entry from the "Funk & Wagnalls New World
> Encyclopedia": 
> PENNSYLVANIA, in full, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of the Middle
> Atlantic states of the U.S. bounded on the N by Lake Erie and New York;
> on the E by New York and New Jersey; on the S by Delaware, Maryland, and
> West Virginia; and on the W by West Virginia and Ohio. The Delaware R.
> forms the entire E boundary of the state.
>
> Richard Mann, Librarian
> San Joaquin Valley Information Service (SJVIS)
> Fresno County Central Library
> 2420 Mariposa Street
> Fresno, CA 93721
>
>  						
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sue Kamm [mailto:suekamm at mindspring.com] 
> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 8:43 AM
> To: list at project-wombat.org
> Subject: Re: [PW] (no subject)
>
>
> I think it's a rhetorical affectation.  BTW, some states are not states
> but commonwealths.  IIRC, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are two of
> them.
>
> -----Original Message-----
>   
>> From: Peter Underwood <Peter.Underwood at uct.ac.za>
>> Sent: Dec 19, 2007 11:32 PM
>> To: list at project-wombat.org
>> Subject: [PW] "The Great State of . . ."
>>
>> >From time-to-time one hears of politicians in the United States 
>>     
>>> referring to "The Great State of . . .", (Georgia, for example).  Is 
>>> this a rhetorical flourish or part of the official name of the 
>>> jurisdiction?  If the former, at what period did this affectation 
>>> begin?
>>>       
>>
>>
>> N.B. New e-mail address -- please update your address books! 
>> Peter.Underwood at uct.ac.za
>> *************************************************
>> Peter G. Underwood
>> 4.03 Hoerikwaggo (Building 27)
>> North Lane, Upper Campus
>> University of Cape Town
>> Private Bag X03      tel:   +27 (0)21 650 3091
>> RONDEBOSCH       fax: +27 (0)21 650 4542
>> 7700                       e-mail: Peter.Underwood at uct.ac.za
>> South Africa
>> *************************************************
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Project Wombat
>> list at project-wombat.org
>> http://www.project-wombat.org/
>>     
>
>
> Your friendly CyberGoddess and Councilor-at-large,
> Sue Kamm
> Inglewood/Los Angeles, CA
> Truest of the Blue, Los Angeles Dodgers Think Blue Week 2000 Visit my
> blog:  http://suekamm.blogspot.com
> email:  suekamm [at] mindspring.com
> "I'm not comfortable being preachy, but more people need to start
> spending as much time in the library as they do on the basketball
> court."- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
>
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