Final answer:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is the most famous American poet of the 1800s and a member of the group of New England romantic writers known as the Fireside Poets. Longfellow's works were known for their storytelling and creation of American mythology. He stood alongside other Romantic poets like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman but was distinct in being part of the Fireside Poets group.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fireside Poets and American Romanticism
The most famous American poet of the 1800s and a member of the New England romantic writers known as the Fireside Poets is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. These poets were named for their popularity and the practice of reading their poetry aloud by the fireside. The Fireside Poets adhered to conventional forms of poetry and were known for their scholarship, as well as their engagement with American political issues of the day, such as abolitionism.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was particularly celebrated for his lyric poetry, and his works such as "The Song of Hiawatha" and "Paul Revere's Ride" became immensely popular for their sense of rhythm and accessible storytelling. Longfellow's poems contributed to the creation of a national American mythology through their themes and subjects. While Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman were prominent figures in the Romantic era, neither of them was part of the Fireside Poets. Emerson was a key figure in the transcendentalist movement, and Walt Whitman is known for his free verse style which broke from the traditional forms of his predecessors. Emily Dickinson, although a revered poet from the same era, was not as widely known during her lifetime and her poetic style differs significantly from that of the Fireside Poets.