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The Barnburners, who wanted Martin Van Buren to repeat as President, were a segment of the Democratic Party in the state of New York during the 1840s. Their name came from the idea that members would be willing to "burn down the barn" (destroy the party) to get rid of the rats (eliminate their enemies). Anxious to stop the spread of slavery in the U.S., the group eventually joined anti-slavery Whigs to become the national Free Soil Party.

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13y ago

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