The Atlantic is an American magazine and publisher. It was created in 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts, and it was called The Atlantic Monthly, which was a literary and cultural commentary magazine that published famous writers' opinions on the abolition of slavery, education, and other important issues in politics. Its creators included Francis H. Underwood and famous writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Greenleaf Whittier. James Russell Lowell was its first editor. It was also known for publishing literary works by leading writers.