Talk:Wide Awakes

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"Young Republicans called "Wide Awakes" marched in uniforms and carried torches during nocturnal processions. Enthusiastic Republican meetings sang songs to "Free Speech, Free Press, Free Soil, Free Men,/ FRE-MONT AND VICTORY.""

I wish this was proof but it isn't.

I didn't write the original article, but there does seem to have been a connection between the Wide Awakes and the Free Soil movement, at least in Illinois. Is there a reason to doubt that the connection extended to Kansas? -Willmcw 05:51, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

not enough proof to say they helped the free soil movement as a group

The connection was that they both were Republican groups and supported Lincoln at a rally. - 20:45 . . 132.241.245.49

If you say so. I'm not an expert. (Please sign your talk page entries with 4 tildes (~)). Thanks, -Willmcw 05:44, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Why were they called the wide awakes? --Bash 04:03, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

The quick answer is that they were on alert. But the longer answer is that we should say something more authoritative about their name in the article. Wanna research it? -Willmcw 05:50, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

There was an organization called the "Wide Awakes" affiliated with the American ("Know Nothing") Party in 1856. Some confusion may exist on this score. Was there any connection between the two groups? Is it certain that there was an anti-Catholic bias among the Republican "Wide Awakes" of 1860 or is this an error? When the article speaks of " virulent anti-Catholicism" is there any real substance for the claim, beyond the fact that Catholics tended to vote Democrat and "Wide Awakes" Republican? In general, the article gives too much credence to Southern rumors of Wide Awake conspiracies, and doesn't take into account the role of "marching societies" in mid-19th century politics. -- concerned user who hasn't figured wikipedia out yet 23 December 2005

Thanks for discussing your concerns about the article. Is there a particular source or sources that you are drawing on? Every reasonable, sourced viewpoint should be included.

"Concerned user" asks "is there any real substance for the claim, beyond the fact that Catholics tended to vote Democrat and "Wide Awakes" Republican?" The answer is yes. Many of the major leaders of the Know Nothing movement became Republicans and campaigned vigorously for Lincoln in 1860. The best example is Daniel Ullmann. Ullmann campaigned for governor of New York state in 1854 on the Know Nothing ticket. He lost, but in a closely contested election in which the Know Nothings received a late start, he outpolled the winner Myron Clark in his home county and received over 122,000 votes. In the most remote towns, the Know Nothings received the least votes, leading historians to speculate that had the campaign started earlier they might have done much better. [Hendrik Booraem. The Formation of the Republican Party in New York. (New York University Press, 1983), 60-61.] Historian Michael Holt sums up the Know Nothing shift to the Republican party best: “Men did not have to vote Know Nothing to express their resentment against Catholics as long as they regarded the Republican party as more anti-Catholic then the Democratic party-and they did.” [Michael F. Holt. The Political Crisis of the 1850s. (New York: Wiley, 1978), 276.] Ullmann gave speeches on behalf of Lincoln during the 1860 campaign. Like many Republicans, they were both old Henry Clay Whigs. The whole period of politics in the decade leading up to the Civil War is quite complex. "Concerned user" is correct about the role of "marching societies" in mid-19th century politics and yet it is not incorrect to identify a link between Know Nothings, anti-Catholic sentiment, and the Wide Awakes. I am writing a thesis on this and have much more information about the Wide Awakes their naming, connections to the Know Nothings, etc., so email me at brianclayjennings@gmail.com if you want more information. I need to help clean up the entry here, but just haven't had the time.

-User:brianclayjennings, 06 June 2006

[edit] Introduction?

Is it just me, or does this article lack a true introduction? Could someone who knows more piece together a good paragraph about who/what Wide Awakes were and why they were significant? --Xyzzyva 10:30, 9 October 2007 (UTC)