Final answer:
State constitutions organized governments with three separate branches and often endowed their legislative assemblies with significant power. These constitutions enshrined the principles of consent of the governed and sought to prevent corruption, directly influencing the development of American democracy and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Most state constitutions were organized to create a government based on the consent of the governed with three separate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch, in most cases, was granted significant power, whether the states adopted a bicameral or unicameral system. The governors were primarily administrators rather than legislators, and measures were put in place to prevent corruption, such as equal representation in assemblies and regular rotation of officeholders. However, most states retained property qualifications for voting and holding office. This structure resulted in diverse governmental frameworks, with each state tailoring its constitution to address local needs and preferences. Consequently, these state constitutions paved the way for a more democratic system at the state level, also influencing the formation of the federal government under the United States Constitution.