National Wide Awakes Day is observed on October 3 in the United States to celebrate the Wide Awakes, a youth organization that emerged during the presidential campaign of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Initially founded by five store clerks, the group advocated for the emancipation of all, abolition, and workers' rights, and grew to 500,000 members by the time Lincoln was elected president. The Wide Awakes organized massive torchlight parades in cities such as Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, and Lower Manhattan, where they marched in oilcloth cloaks and carried lanterns. Their activities included social events and promotional comic books, which helped introduce many young people to political participation. The organization played a significant role in mobilizing new and young voters, providing them with a political identity amidst the partisan instability of the 1850s.