Question: Which four U.S. states are legally commonwealths?
Answer: Four U.S. states—Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—call themselves commonwealths, a purely historical title with no legal difference from any other state. The term, popular during the American Revolutionary War to emphasize government for the common good rather than monarchy, was written into each state’s constitution. Massachusetts adopted it in 1780 under John Adams’ influence; Virginia and Pennsylvania used it in 1776 to reflect their democratic ideals; and Kentucky kept the tradition when it became a state in 1792, drawing on its roots in Virginia.
