Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaGovernment

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a constituent federated state of the United States of America, exercising sovereign constitutional government in the Mid-Atlantic region. Operating under the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, its government is divided into executive, legislative (the Pennsylvania General Assembly), and judicial branches, with a mandate to enact state laws, administer public education and transportation, regulate commerce, and protect civil rights. Originally founded as a proprietary English colony by William Penn in 1681 as a sanctuary of religious tolerance, Pennsylvania served as the cradle of the American republic, hosting the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia before ratifying the Constitution as the second state on December 12, 1787.