What is a commonwealth?  There’s no difference between a commonwealth and a state. The name emphasizes its intent to be for the common good of the people.

The convention for this name began when England established charters for new colonies throughout the United Kingdom.  Several “states” in the US have kept the designation as Commonwealth.  Which ones are they?

Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virgina.

The Continental Congress was initially convened in 1774 for only eight weeks, in an attempt to have all the colonies represented in a response to laws imposed on the colonies by the British government. That Congress is often referred to as the First Continental Congress.

The Second Continental Congress was convened in 1775. This body did the work of declaring independence in 1776, signing and distributing the Declaration of Independence throughout the colonies, and managing the young nation during the Revolutionary War.

As the war drew to a close the Articles of Confederation were drawn up and signed. The Confederation Congress convened and remained in place from 1781 to 1789.

The Congress as we know it today began after the signing of the US Constitution in 1789. The first session of Congress began in 1789, and the 119th session began in 2025.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution have served as models for other democracies over the last two and a half centuries.

The Quartering Act was an act of the British Parliament that created hardship and resentment in the Colonies. It specified that the colonists must supply food and lodging for the soldiers of the British Army. This was done to reduce the costs to Britain as they defended the territory and to recoup the costs from the French and Indian War, which took place from 1754 to the 1763.

There was more than one effort by the British Parliament to force the colonies to pay for the British troops stationed in their towns. The first was in 1765, and the second was in 1774.

The Stamp Act was a form of tax on the colonists established by the British in 1765. It required all paper used for various documents - including everything from legal papers to newspapers to playing cards - to have a duty tax paid and stamped on the paper.

This Stamp Act was repealed (canceled) in 1766, but similar stamp requirements still occur in many nations. U.S. examples today include a fee for a marriage license, business licenses, and recording fees for deeds and mortgages.

During the Revolutionary War there were a variety of flags used throughout the colonies by various militias and naval units. The story that Betsy Ross, a seamstress and upholsterer, designed and sewed the first version of that flag was not presented until 1870, by her descendants. Several accounts by historians from the 1800s differ on how and when the flag design with circular stars was created.

The Flag Resolution of 1777: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

There were 39 flags created for the US as the number of states grew. A few examples of those early flags are below.           

The current version of the flag was created in 1960 after the addition of the State of Alaska.