What kind of state is virginia

That notion might seem strange to those familiar with another use of the word commonwealth. The Commonwealth with a capital C is an association of sovereign states consisting of Britain and a number of countries that were formerly under its rule. Membership in the Commonwealth is voluntary, and not restricted to former colonies; both Mozambique and Rwanda—the two most recent members to join—are members despite having no historical tie to the British Empire.

They are not states, and have only a nonvoting representative in Congress. While residents of these islands have U.

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Tourists in Colonial Williamsburg can walk through history.

Please be respectful of copyright. Although the land that became the commonwealth of Virginia was home to numerous Native American tribes, only eight since the early twentieth century have maintained active, formally organized tribal governments recognized by the Virginia General Assembly: the Chickahominy and the Chickahominy Eastern Division, the Mattaponi and Upper Mattaponi, the Monacan, Nansemond, and Pamunkey, and the United Rappahannock.

Historians think the English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh suggested the name about That year, Elizabeth gave Raleigh permission to colonize the Virginia region.

Chicago: World Book, Inc. For information on the Symbols and Emblems of the Commonwealth, including many "official state" designees, visit Capitol Classroom. The state of Virginia no longer has an official state song.

History of Virginia's old state song and search for a new one can be found on the State Song Competition page. The choice of a new state song has been postponed. From the Hornbook of Virginia History, 4th ed. Since , Virginia has been a "commonwealth. Virginia became one of the "united" states when the Constitution was ratified in The delegates endorsed the perspective of John Locke, as expressed in his Second Treatise on Government.