| Sumario: | The article discusses the Wide Awakes, a revolutionary political organization of young men formed in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wide Awakes were in favor of the Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln and were the first major campaign organization to adopt a military motif. The author examines the Wide Awakes as a symbol of the organizational strength and uniformity of the Republican Party. The article also discusses how the election of Lincoln helped begin the U.S. Civil War and how southerners perceived the Wide Awakes. The historiography of the Wide Awakes is also talked about. Subjects of the article also include how the Wide Awakes fostered competition, employed appealing symbols, and engendered mass participation.
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