The statue of Oliver Cromwell stands outside the Palace of Westminster in London | Photo by Steve Punter/Wikimedia Commons
Part III of “Commonwealth Option for U.S.A.” Series
History buffs and sites like Wikipedia remember the saga of Oliver Cromwell (April 1599 – September 1658) well; he was an English statesman, military leader, and politician. Historians regard him as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and served as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and then as a politician. He was a leading advocate of the execution of King Charles I in January 1649. It led to the establishment of the Commonwealth of England. He ruled as “Lord Protector” from December 1653 until his death from natural causes on September 3, 1658.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is the incoming chairman of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026. Will he lead the 22 other Democratic governors to team up with their Republican counterparts to prevent chaos, cruelty, the cannibalization of the Constitution, and other crazy circumstances that are tearing up the fabric of American society? Perhaps the governors may consider the option of imitating peaceful and civilly crusaders like Cromwell and Company, who ended monarchy in the British Isles in the 17th century.
Is it conceivable for governors of most 50 U.S. states to act like Oliver Cromwell and become the elected “Protectors of the people”? After all, the people of the United States did not stage a popular rebellion against the British monarchy and declared themselves independent, only to be governed by a would-be king nearly 250 years later. Perhaps almost all the states and U.S. territories may want to do what Cromwell and Company did — but do it more constructively and peacefully? And turn their respective states into a Commonwealth like the Commonwealth of England in 1653. And into an “American Commonwealth of Nations”?
On August 6, 2023, this column suggested that “President Biden Reinvent an American-led Commonwealth of Countries.”
The Commonwealth idea exists and is practiced to a limited extent in the United States. Four states in the United States call themselves commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In addition, the United States has two other commonwealths, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Perhaps the District of Columbia can declare itself a commonwealth and become the 53rd member of an American Commonwealth of Countries (of States or Nations). And invite former American colonies like the Philippines and Guam to join. Liberia, which formerly enslaved Africans founded in the United States, may gladly reinvent itself as a commonwealth and become a member, too. Other countries liberated from oppression by the American military, like Cuba, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and other countries may also like to declare themselves as a commonwealth and join it.
Will the creation of an American Commonwealth of Nations restore peace in North America and the Free World and not lead to civil strife like that which led to the sad fate of King Charles I of England in 1649 or of some present-day dictators?
