[PW] Commonwealths

[Peter Zilahy Ingerman, PhD]

FWIW, it seems that the US State Department can't tell the difference, 
either. My passport (issued in 2006 February) has images of the seals of 
the various states and includes the STATEs of Virginia, Kentucky, 
Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.

Of course, expecting historical accuracy on the part of the government 
may be asking for a bit much.

Peter Ingerman

Hilary Caws-Elwitt wrote:

>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
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Project Wombat
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>>http://www.project-wombat.org/
>>
>>  
>>    
>>
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