The Atlantic
In the autumn of 1857, Moses Dresser Phillips announced a new magazine idea at a dinner party held inside Boston's Parker House Hotel. The plan for this publication emerged from that gathering and quickly gained traction among prominent American writers. Harriet Beecher Stowe declined to attend the initial meeting because the event served alcohol, yet she later signed the manifesto outlining the paper's goals alongside Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Atlantic Monthly published its first issue in November 1857 with James Russell Lowell serving as its editor-in-chief. This literary journal featured commentary on education and the abolition of slavery during a turbulent era. Francis H. Underwood initiated the project while Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and John Greenleaf Whittier sponsored and organized the venture. By 1862, the magazine became the first English-language publication to print Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" on February 1st. In 1878, it absorbed The Galaxy, a competitor founded by William Conant Church that had previously published works by Mark Twain and Walt Whitman.
The magazine remained in Boston until April 2005 when publishers announced plans to move editorial offices from 77 North Washington Street to Washington D.C. David G. Bradley transferred ownership from Mortimer Zuckerman on the 27th of September 1999, promising the publication would stay in Boston for five-and-a-half years before relocating. The move served to create a hub where top minds from all of Bradley's publications could collaborate under the Atlantic Media Company umbrella. Few of the original Boston staff agreed to relocate, prompting an open search for new editorial talent. James Bennet joined as editor-in-chief in 2006 after serving as Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times. Jeffrey Goldberg entered the organization as a writer in 2006 before becoming editor-in-chief in October 2016. Laurene Powell Jobs acquired majority ownership through her Emerson Collective organization on the 28th of July 2017, while David G. Bradley retained a minority share position. Nicholas Thompson became CEO in December 2020, and the company moved its offices to The Wharf in Washington D.C.'s Southwest Waterfront neighborhood in 2022.
In November 1860, three years into publication, then-editor James Russell Lowell endorsed Republican Abraham Lincoln for his first presidential run. The magazine also endorsed the abolition of slavery during that same period. Edward Weeks wrote on behalf of the editorial board in 1964 to endorse Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson while rebuking Republican Barry Goldwater's candidacy. During the 2016 presidential campaign, the editorial board urged readers to support Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a third historical endorsement. After Donald Trump won the November 2016 election, the magazine became a strong critic of his administration. In March 2019, cover article by editor Yoni Appelbaum called for Congress to judge the president's fitness to serve. A September 2020 story cited anonymous sources reporting that Trump referred to dead American soldiers as losers. The publication endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election and published a special 24-article issue titled "If Trump Wins" in early 2024. In October 2024, the publication endorsed Kamala Harris in her bid against Trump.
The Atlantic went online with AOL in 1993 before creating an independent website called The Atlantic Monthly on the Web in 1995. They renamed it Atlantic Unbound in 1997 and maintained a paywall until January 2008 when they removed it following a sponsorship from Goldman Sachs. Traffic to their web properties surpassed 11 million uniques per month by December 2011, up 2500% since removing the paywall. The website introduced soft limitations in October 2016 advising free readers with adblockers to turn them off or pay $39.99 annually for advertising-free access. A new hard paywall launched in September 2019 restricting unsubscribed readers to five free articles per month. Digital subscriptions cost $49.99 annually while print and digital packages reached $59.99 and Premium tier hit $100. By 2024, the magazine had crossed one million subscribers and achieved profitability after losing $20 million in a single year and laying off 17% of its staff. The publication now operates a four-tier freemium model offering unlimited article access including archives and narrated content.
On the 14th of January 2013, The Atlantic published sponsor content promoting David Miscavige, leader of the Church of Scientology, which drew widespread criticism. Page comments were moderated by marketing teams rather than editorial staff, leading to removals of critical responses before the piece was taken down that same day. In June 2020, the magazine faced legal action in Japan over an article titled "When the Presses Stop" by Molly Ball, resulting in numerous corrections and a settlement reached in January 2024. On the 1st of November 2020, The Atlantic retracted an article about niche sports among Ivy League parents after discovering the author Ruth Shalit Barrett had left The New Republic amid plagiarism allegations. Barrett sued for defamation in January 2022 claiming the magazine destroyed her career through misrepresentation. Court filings showed the parties settled in June 2025 with The Atlantic paying more than $1 million according to The New York Times. On the 5th of February 2024, the magazine cut ties with contributor Yascha Mounk following rape accusations he called categorically untrue. National-security leaders accidentally included editor Jeffrey Goldberg in a group chat organizing military strikes on Houthis during the Donald Trump administration in 2025.
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Common questions
When was The Atlantic magazine founded and who were its initial editors?
The Atlantic Monthly published its first issue in November 1857 with James Russell Lowell serving as its editor-in-chief. Francis H. Underwood initiated the project while Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and John Greenleaf Whittier sponsored and organized the venture.
Who owns The Atlantic magazine today and when did ownership change hands?
Laurene Powell Jobs acquired majority ownership through her Emerson Collective organization on the 28th of July 2017 while David G. Bradley retained a minority share position. Nicholas Thompson became CEO in December 2020 and the company moved its offices to The Wharf in Washington D.C.'s Southwest Waterfront neighborhood in 2022.
What political endorsements has The Atlantic made throughout its history?
In November 1860 then-editor James Russell Lowell endorsed Republican Abraham Lincoln for his first presidential run. During the 2016 presidential campaign the editorial board urged readers to support Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and later endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election before endorsing Kamala Harris in October 2024.
How much does it cost to subscribe to The Atlantic digital platform?
Digital subscriptions cost $49.99 annually while print and digital packages reached $59.99 and Premium tier hit $100. A new hard paywall launched in September 2019 restricting unsubscribed readers to five free articles per month.
When did The Atlantic magazine move from Boston to Washington D.C?
The magazine remained in Boston until April 2005 when publishers announced plans to move editorial offices from 77 North Washington Street to Washington D.C. David G. Bradley transferred ownership from Mortimer Zuckerman on the 27th of September 1999 promising the publication would stay in Boston for five-and-a-half years before relocating.