The Barnburners were a liberal faction of the New York state United States Democratic Party in the mid 19th century. The term barnburner was derived from the idea of someone who would burn down his own barn to get rid of a rat infestation. Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism, an adherent of the ideology espousing individual liberty and private property, meaning varies country to country American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Modern liberalism, in the USA, describes a political ideology that favors government intervention to promote equality Political progressivism, a political... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A barn in southern Ontario, Canada A barn in Wisconsin A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ...

The Barnburners opposed the extension of slavery, expanding public debt, and the power of the large corporations. They were led by Martin Van Buren, and in the 1848 presidential election they bolted the party, refusing to support presidential nominee Lewis Cass, and instead joining with other anti-slavery groups to form the Free Soil Party, which would nominate Van Buren for president. Jump to: navigation, search The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... Government debt (public debt, national debt) is money owed by government, at any level (central government, federal government, national government, municipal government, local government, regional government). ... A corporation (usually known in the United Kingdom and Ireland as a company) is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a Civil law systems may refer to corporations as moral persons; they may also go by the name... Jump to: navigation, search Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the eighth President of the United States. ... Summary President James Polk, having achieved virtually all of his objectives in one term and suffering from declining health that would take his life less than four months after leaving office, chose not to seek re-election. ... Lewis Cass Campaign poster for 12th United States Presidential campaign, 1848. ... The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States organized in 1848 that petered out by about 1852. ...

Their opponents, the conservative Hunkers, favored minimizing the slavery issue, internal improvements, and state banks. The term hunker was derived from someone who "hunkers" (hankers) after a political office. Following the 1848 election, the Hunkers themselves split over the question of reconciliation with the Barnburners, with the "Softs," led by William L. Marcy, favoring reconciliation, and the "Hards," led by Daniel S. Dickinson, opposing it. William Learned Marcy ( December 12, 1786– July 4, 1857) was an American statesman. ... Daniel S. Dickinson Daniel Stevens Dickinson (September 11, 1800 - April 12, 1866) was an American politician, most notable as a United States Senator from New York from 1844 to 1851. ...

While this division relates primarily to New York politics, it also reflects on national divisions in the United States.