LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 December Civil War Auction #674  / 

72180

“WIDE AWAKE” CAP LINCOLN POLITICAL CLUB ca

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:12,000.00 USD Estimated At:25,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
“WIDE AWAKE” CAP LINCOLN POLITICAL CLUB ca
<B>“WIDE AWAKE” CAP LINCOLN POLITICAL CLUB CIRCA 1860.</B></I> The Wide Awakes were a political club loosely affiliated with the "Know Nothing Movement" in the 1850s. By 1860 the Wide Awakes backed the new Republican Party and it's candidate, Abraham Lincoln. There were hundreds of chapters of the club throughout the nation and they were considered a quasi-military organization with officers, uniforms, torches, banners, and some drill expertise. They functioned as a political police force, escorting campaign speakers and maintaining order at large political gatherings. They assembled at polls to protect voters and marched in parades in support their party. On October 3, 1860, 10,000 Wide Awakes marched in Chicago in a procession three miles long. <I>Harpers Weekly </B></I>illustrated the event in the October 13, 1860 issue of the magazine.<BR><BR>Shown here is a red, white and blue painted oilcloth Wide Awake kepi from Lincoln’s 1860 campaign. It has a period ink inscription <I>“'Wide Awake' (Cap Lincoln Political Club. 1860)"</B></I><B>. </B></I><BR><BR><B>Provenance: </B></I>Al. Emmett Fostell Collection<B> </B></I><BR><BR><B>Condition:</B></I> Very fine<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Smal (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
Sign In to Bookmark Lot