GENERAL INFORMATION

"Think of your forefathers!
Think of your posterity!"

Creating a Commonwealth: A Guide to Your State Government is intended to provide answers to many of the questions about how government works in Pennsylvania. It is easy to think of state government only in the present tense - what are the current laws, rules and customs and how do they affect the problems and situations facing today's citizens of the Commonwealth.

But readers of this book would be well-advised to heed Adams' words. Our history is the evolution of our government, and our future will depend on what is done or fails to be done by our present elected and appointed representatives.

The constitutional rights of the people of Pennsylvania, the manner in which we elect our legislators, governors and judges, and the boundaries within which those officials may act on behalf of the voters reflect the intentions of our forefathers and will have consequences to our posterity. It is the responsibility of contemporary society to examine the contributions of those who came before and to help determine the path future generations will take.

Creating a Commonwealth is a primer that gives the reader a glimpse at the very complex entity that is your state government. To the curious mind, some answers will lead to other questions. It is hoped that readers will seek out further information on topics of particular interest.

Our Founding Fathers expressed their reasons in the preamble to the Constitution: to "form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."

2. WHAT IS A REPUBLIC?

A republic is that form of government in which the administration of affairs is open to all the citizens. It is characterized by a constitutional form of government, especially a democratic one. A republican government is a government by representatives chosen by the people.

3. WHAT IS A DEMOCRACY?

A democracy is government by the people. In a democracy, supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them, either directly (absolute or pure democracy) or through elected representatives (representative democracy).

4. IS THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT A REPUBLIC OR A DEMOCRACY?

It is both. The United States is a republic because we have a constitution, an elected leader rather than a monarch, and our citizens all work freely and equally toward the same cause - the preservation and operation of the nation.

The United States government is also a representative democracy. An absolute or pure democracy would be unwieldy because of the country's large area and population.

5. WHAT IS THE "SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND"?

The United States Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are considered to be the "supreme law of the land." The judges of every state are bound by it, regardless of anything contrary in individual state constitutions or laws.

6. WHAT IS A COMMONWEALTH?

In reference to Pennsylvania, the word "commonwealth" is synonymous with "state." The term is of English derivation and implies a special devotion of the government to the common "weal," or the welfare of its citizens.

The colony of William Penn was known as the Quaker Commonwealth, and records show that those who framed the Pennsylvania constitutions from 1776 through 1878 continued this terminology. Interestingly, the state seal of Pennsylvania does not use the term, but as a matter of tradition it is the legal designation used in referring to the state.

7. HOW MANY COMMONWEALTHS ARE THERE IN THE UNITED STATES?

Four. In addition to Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Virginia are also considered commonwealths.

8. WHY IS PENNSYLVANIA CALLED THE "KEYSTONE STATE"?

This nickname for Pennsylvania first appeared shortly after the American Revolution and was in common usage by the early 1800s. It is believed that the original attribution referred to Pennsylvania's central geographic location among the Atlantic seaboard states. Modern use of the designation is justified in view of Pennsylvania's key position in the economic, social, and political development of the United States.

9. HAS HARRISBURG ALWAYS BEEN THE CAPITAL OF PENNSYLVANIA?

No. The Pennsylvania Colony established its first capital in 1643 at Tinicum Island in the Delaware River.

William Penn arrived in 1682 and convened the first General Assembly in Chester, which remained the capital until the following year. Philadelphia became the state capital when the Provincial Government was established there in 1683.

Lancaster became the capital on the first Monday of November 1799 and remained so until Harrisburg was designated as the seat of state government in 1812.

10. HOW CAN THE LOCATION OF THE STATE CAPITAL BE CHANGED?

The Constitution says that a law that would change the location of Pennsylvania's state capital would only be valid when voted on and approved by voters in a general election (see Article III, Section 28).

11. WHAT PENNSYLVANIA CITIES WERE ONCE THE CAPITAL OF THIS COUNTRY?

Philadelphia, Lancaster, and York. During the Revolutionary War, when General Washington was defeated by General Howe at Brandywine, it was decided to move the capital from Philadelphia because of the fear of attack. Congress adjourned and met in Lancaster for one day before moving to York. York remained the capital during the British occupation of Philadelphia from 1777 until 1778.The seat of government was transferred briefly to New York City and then returned to Philadelphia until 1800, when it moved to Washington, D.C.

12. WHO WAS THE ONLY NATIVE PENNSYLVANIAN TO BE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

James Buchanan, born in Cove Cap, Franklin County, in 1791, was elected President of the United States in 1856.