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Joined: Mar 2002
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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How does Massachusetts come to be a Commonwealth?
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
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I think it was simply because it was declared to be one, Dixbie. There is no real distinction between a state and a commonwealth, at least in law.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
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Pennsylvania is a commonwealth too! (i forget which other states are also 'incorporated' as commonwealths.)mostly its east coast states, many of which started with charters and grants from various english kings.
Massachusetts is an interesting case. most of the orignal colonies, as stated, were chartered by king's(queen's), and in every case but Massachusetts, the original copy of the charter remained in UK. John Winthrope, (a lawyer by trade) made sure to get a sealed copy of the charter which he took with him to colony. With the original document in hand, politics became an early game in New England.. (the charter was rather broad, and definded the colony to extend to pacific ocean!--or rather something along the words "extending westward till it came to natural border"--nowdays it Massachusetts doesn't even extend to the hudson river (and one could argue, it should have ended at the connetticut river, which divides Vermont and New Hampshire (as a 'natural border'))--there were other points of contention along the way, and since the goverment in Mass, had a copy of the charter, they always were interpting the clauses in ways that suited them. most other colonies had to send delegated to courts in london to settle disputes, and in london, crown had 'home court' advantage!
while some of the charters were for commercial corporations, (to develop lands in america for the betterment of the crown, or some such language) most had religious underpinnings. New Amsterdam (NY) was the only real wholey commercial enterprize, a court case in 1650, (John Bowne), decided that. John Bowne was the first person in americas to win the legal right to worship as he pleased, (so long as he made money!- state charity (dole) was limited to members of the Dutch reformed church)
John Bowne, curiously was married to John Winthrope's grand neice, Hannah Feake. (her mother Margaret Winthrope- was neice and daugher in law to JW) At the time of Hannah marrige, Margaret was onto husband #3, John Hallet (winthrope, feake, hallet) most maps of NYC still show Hallets Cove -- the area in north west queens where the Hallets lived. (near Hell Gate/Triboro Bridge) (my parents lived near hallets cove when i was born, and john bowne's house (part of the original 1647 dwelling, and parts added later, over the years) still exists in flushing. (technically i live in flushing, Rego Park is a subdivision of flushing)-so this is local history for me.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
FWIW From Article IV of Part the First of the Massachusetts Constitution: The people of this commonwealth have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves, as a free, sovereign, and independent state;(emphasis mine) http://www.state.ma.us/legis/const.htm
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
I found an official site for the gov't. of MA; their governor's first name is Mitt! I wonder if this link is an intentional redundancy:
Find public hearings, recreational events and more.
These four are commonwealths, not states: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Here's a quote from a site that says something similar to what I found before:
WE CONTACTED ERIC USLANER, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FOR YOUR ANSWERS. THE PROFESSOR SAYS THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STATE AND COMMONWEALTH.
THE ENGLISH STARTED USING THE TERM COMMONWEALTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 17TH CENTURY. VIRGINIA, PENNSYLVANIA, MASSACHUSETTS AND KENTUCKY ALL USE THE TERM COMMONWEALTH, WHICH ACTUALLY MEANS GOVERNMENT FOR THE COMMON GOOD. IT CAN ALSO REFER TO A TERRITORY SUCH AS PUERTO RICO.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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These four are commonwealths, not states
How many legs does a cow have if you call one of the legs an arm?
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
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Australia is a Commonwealth inside a Commonwealth, fwiw.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
How many legs does a cow have if you call one of the legs an arm? As in form vs. function?
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Joined: Mar 2002
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Pooh-Bah
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OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
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Thank you all. Interesting stuff - specially ofTroy's 'isTory. 
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