Constitutional Democratic Party

***Constitutional Democratic Party***
 Color: Azure

**The Constitutional Democratic Party** is a US National party founded on December 15, 1787 by George Benckendorf and Henry Whittleston. The Party had some key early supporters, including John Adams, Charles Carroll, and Philip Schuyler. The party dawned azure as their party's color, and nominated George Benckendorf for their Chairman, and in the First Presidential Election they would nominate George Washington and John Adams, both of which would win the general election, but Adams would go on to leave the party in 1790. With a headquarters in Philadelphia, the party held a vital role in the middle states and was seen as a median between the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists.

### Founding and Early stages

After the Constitutional Convention would end, the country found itself divided on Federalists and Anti-Federalists, both eventually forming into respective parties. Brigadier General George Benckendorf in particular was unhappy with the radical alignment of what he saw as good ideals to only one party, such as economic reform of the Federalists and liberalism of the Republicans. Not willing to compromise his beliefs with either party, he decided to write the book describing his ideology, and with another Revolutionary War veteran Henry Whittleston formed the Constitutional Democratic Party, which followed these principles.

As the party has been formed before the Federalists had one, many of northern aristocrats have flocked to the party, which led to the nomination of key federalist statesmen on various elections, including but not limited to John Adams in the 1788-89 US Presidential election.

Eventually, however, as the Federalist party was formed, many of those who joined the Constitutional Democracy in the early years have started to leave the party for the one that was closer to their political and social views, including the Vice President himself. While that helped Benckendorfite Progressivism solidify itself as main ideology (with disappearance of many of its enemies), it eventually led to Constitutional Democrats being sidelined as a third party for the rest of the 1790s.

In the Presidential Election of 1792, the Constitutional Democrats would not renominate John Adams for obvious reasons, but instead would nominate George Benckendorf for Vice President. The party would only win 26 electors in the election, but after a backroom deal with Alexander Hamilton, they secured several Federalist Electors, but it ultimately would not be enough, many siding with the Federalist nominee John Adams, but in the end George Clinton of the Democratic-Republicans would win by just 1 elector. After this, Adams left the Federalist Party and joined the Freedom Party, but, after severe criticisms would form his own Grand Republic Party, which would eventually merge into the Democratic Party.

### "Desperate Period" and the 1796 Presidential election

As it has been said before, the Constitutional Democratic Party has become a third party and steadily lost its power until 1798. In the house, it retained 10 seats until a sudden increase to 14 in 1798 midterm elections, and in the Senate it has preserved the *trinity* (George, Charles Benckendorfs and Henry Whittleston) until the death of Charles Benckendorf in November 14, 1796, after what only two seats remained. It has been nicknamed *Desperate Period* by the chairman in his book, because despite all the campaigning, it could not move from that place. During that time, it has been aligned with the Federalists and wrongly criticized for being as elitist and authoritarian.

In the 1796 Presidential Election, the Federalist Party, still suffering from the rebellion of Adams and his followers, could not select a nominee, with only a fringe portion backing Governor Charles Carroll of Maryland. For that reason, Hamilton, and other part of the Federalist establishment backed George Benckendorf and Henry Whittleston for President and Vice President respectively, which made the election a two-way race.

The Benckendorf campaign focused on his military victories and liberal populism, which contrasted with elitism and a sudden shift in ideology of John Adams, who also has been suspected of being a puppet of Linda Banks. The election has been turned around due to innovative campaign methods of George Benckendorf, who used personal alignment with key newspapers such as *The Philadelphia Tribune* and *The Virginia Herald* to discredit the Adams/Clinton ticket by revealing ties with Thomas Paine in the South, publishing Benckendorf's rebuttal of attacks by Democratic surrogates, and accusing him of betrayal of the ideals in the Northeast. It has severely damaged the Adams campaign and made the race extremely competitive.

In the end, Benckendorf was able to gain a lot of southern states and deliver an upset victory in the state of Virginia, which closed the door for an outright Adams victory. With North Carolina and Vermont backing Gerald Smith (the former, mainly because of despise of both candidates), the race turned into a tie, but with Smith backing Adams due to ideological alignments, Benckendorf understood that he couldn't win. But Whittleston could ascend to the Presidency and was preparing a plot to do so, manipulating the Smith electors for that. After hearing about the schemes in the electoral college, Benckendorf, what has been described as "in disregard" by Whittleston, and "for the sake of democracy, and respect to the will of the people" by the Chairman himself, told some of Pennsylvania's electors to not vote for Whittleston, which guaranteed a deadlock in the electoral college. The House has certified a victory for John Adams, and Henry Whittleston, feeling betrayed, joined the Party for Democracy.

This delivered a severe blow to the Constitutional Democratic Party, but, in what seemed like competence as a party leader, George Benckendorf managed to keep its significant position, and did so by elevating young and Benckendorfite Progressive people, such as New York businessman Andrew Kerry, South Carolina State congressman Martin Tudor, New Hampshire lawyer Gabriel Sutherland and more. In the 1798 United States elections, the Constitutional Democratic Party has increased its seat count in the house from 10 to 14 and brought the Senate seat count to 2 with Sutherland's victory in New Hampshire. From this year, Constitutional Democrats have slowly but steadily regained their momentum and prominence on the national stage, but due to influence of the two parties remained a third party, and had a lot to do if not for the subsequent events.

### 1800 Presidential election and resurgence

As 1800 Presidential election approached, it has been evident that John Adams could not win re-election after his mishandling of the plague and war with France. For that reason, now the Democratic Union Party nominated John Tremble and Gerald Smith for President and Vice President. Benckendorf has decided to once again participate in the election, now with Martin Tudor as his running mate, which would later be changed to William Scott of Virginia, a Revolutionary War veteran.

Thomas Jefferson also tried to run for President, and had all the momentum as a broadly popular figure and author of the Declaration of Independence. It has sidelined Benckendorf as a third party candidate again, but the upset that turned things around happened. Unable to nominate a protest candidate, states which participated in the Cambridge Convention of 1799 have seceded and formed the Republic of New England, and the southern states have seceded as well, forming Dixieland, thus starting a three-way American Civil War, in which the U.S. was seen in a losing position in 1800. In that time of severe crisis and political chaos, George Benckendorf has been appointed Senior Officer of the Army, and led successful 7 Days Campaign, the battle of Hyattsville, and re-captured District of Columbia, which gave him reputation of a national hero and increased respect among the populace. Democratic Union, on the other hand, had its reputation crushed by the decision of their chairman Linda Banks to secede New Jersey from the United States, and Jefferson couldn't participate. This turn of events led to Benckendorf taking the lead, and winning all states except Delaware, 60 electoral votes (lacking 7 from a full majority), and 54.7% of the popular vote, which is considered an absolute landslide.

The first term of President Benckendorf oversaw victories in the battles of New York and Richmond, defeat of New England in the Civil War, passage of the Coinage and Homestead Act, foundation of the United States Army and establishment of the draft, and charter of the National Bank. The economic resurgence, and flock of pro-union Federalists such as Henry Lee III into the party led to its victory in the 1802 midterm election, and its position as one of the two parties, with the second party yet unknown since the merger of Democratic Union and Farmer-Labour into the Peoples' Labour Party, whose ideas were unpopular at the time.

In 1803, Amo Gus had proposed several Constitutional Amendments that would release all the slaves and grant voting rights to all people regardless of race or previous condition of servitude, which Congress rejected, as Benckendorf believed that it would make things worse with the threat of secession and Dixieland in the south still present. For that reason, Gus left the party and created his own Party of Social Progress, a fringe party promoting radical social reforms. While this didn't deliver a huge blow to Constitutional Democrats, they have been stripped away of a competent campaign surrogate for 1804.

***Chairman of the Constitutional Democratic Party:***