Final answer:
The major principle of the U.S. Constitution is the Separation of powers, which divides government responsibilities among different branches to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major principle of the U.S. Constitution referred to in the student's question is b) Separation of powers. This principle is central to the Constitution's design of governance and ensures that no single branch of government becomes too powerful. Montesquieu's discourse on separation of powers greatly influenced the Founding Fathers. The U.S. Constitution mandates a division of responsibilities among the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches, with measures in place to enable them to operate independently while still requiring them to collaborate, exemplified by the process of how a bill becomes law. Thomas Jefferson affirmed that the spirit of the Constitution is clearly reflected in the separation of legislative, Executive, and Judiciary functions, characterizing this principle as one of the Constitution's fundamental tenets.