Many of his poems are about slavery. During the American Civil War, Whittier wrote a poem called "Barbara Frietchie". Later in life, Whittier wrote a poem called "Snowbound". Whittier was one of the people who founded "The Atlantic Monthly". The city of Whittier, California was named for Whittier when he was still living, and the town of Whittier, Alaska is also named for him.