John Greenleaf Whittier

An American poet and abolitionist, he was born in 1807 and died in 1892. His work drew on his Quaker faith and the landscapes of rural Massachusetts, blending pastoral imagery with moral conviction. He became a leading literary voice for the abolition of slavery, using poetry to condemn the institution. His most famous long poem, 'Snow-Bound,' captures a family gathered around a hearth during a snowstorm and evokes nostalgia for a simpler time. Other notable poems include 'Barbara Frietchie' and 'Ichabod,' the latter a lament for the statesman Daniel Webster. As one of the Fireside Poets, he helped shape 19th-century American literary identity through accessible, popular verse that often addressed social issues.