Constitutional Union Party

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Constitutional Union Party
LeaderJohn Bell
Founded1860 (1860)
Dissolved1861 (1861)
Merger ofKnow-Nothing Party
Opposition Party
Succeeded byUnionist Party
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
IdeologyAmerican nationalism
Conservatism
Political positionBig tent
Preserve the Union
Colors  Orange

The Constitutional Union Party was an American political party. It was one of four major parties to have candidates in the 1860 United States presidential election right before the American Civil War. It was made up of former Whigs and Know-Nothings who had not joined the Republican Party, and people from the South who wanted the Union to stay together. It had one idea - keeping the United States together. It ran John Bell for President and Edward Everett for Vice-President. They got about one eighth of the popular vote, mostly from the South and the border states.