HUNKERS AND BARNBURNERS

in United States history, two factions into which the New York State Democratic Party divided in the mid-19th century. The Hunkers (from the Dutch word hunkerer, referring to one who seeks office for himself) were a conservative urban group led by William L. Marcy and Daniel S. Dickinson. The Barnburners, whose name was supposedly derived from the act of a farmer who set his barn afire to rid it of rats, were radicals led by Martin Van Buren. Their opposing views on slavery brought the two factions briefly into national politics. After 1844 the Hunkers supported the annexation of Texas and opposed all antislavery agitation. The Barnburners opposed extending slavery into new territories and in 1848 left the Democratic National Convention, nominated Martin Van Buren for president, and joined the Free-Soil Party. Later some Barnburners returned to the Democratic Party, and others joined the newly formed Republican Party.