The term "Commonwealth '' does not describe or provide for any specific political status or legal relationship when used by a state. Those that do use it are equal to those that do not. A traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good, it is used symbolically to emphasize that these states have a "government based on the common consent of the people '' as opposed to one legitimized through their earlier colonial status that was derived from the British crown. It refers to the common "wealth '', or welfare, of the public and is derived from a loose translation of the Latin term res publica.
what is a commonwealth in the united states
these states have a "government based on the common consent of the people '' as opposed to one legitimized through their earlier colonial status that was derived from the British crown