Passing Parade: States’ rights

Nelson A. Pryor: Guest Columnist Chancing upon an article published in 1856, this author noticed this terminology: “In 1855, these United States consists of thirty-one great republics.” Using common sense, the sentence alludes to the fact that the then 31 States were actually “Republics,” not “States.”  Recently, I discovered that the first Governor of Rhode Island, in his inaugural address to his Legislature, used that same term, “one of the great republics.” States’