john bell of tennessee represented the constitutional union party in the election of 1860.
john bell of tennessee represented the constitutional union party in the election of 1860.
who represented the constitutional union party in the election of 1860?
john bell of tennessee
the whig party had collapsed in the 1850s due to a series of sectional crises over slavery. though some former whigs joined the democratic party or the new, anti-slavery republican party, others joined the nativist american party. the american party collapsed following the 1856 elections, and in the lead-up to the 1860 elections john j. crittenden and other former whigs founded the constitutional union party. the 1860 constitutional union convention met in may 1860, nominating john bell of tennessee for president and edward everett of massachusetts for vice president. party leaders hoped to force a contingent election in the house of representatives by denying any one candidate a majority in the electoral college.
constitutional union party (united states)
constitutional union party (united states)









































the constitutional union party was a united states third party active during the 1860 elections. it consisted of conservative former whigs, largely from the southern united states, who wanted to avoid secession over the slavery issue and refused to join either the republican party or the democratic party. the constitutional union party campaigned on a simple platform "to recognize no political principle other than the constitution of the country, the union of the states, and the enforcement of the laws".
constitutional union party (united states)