Historical Figures Essay Examples and Topics

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472 samples

Tips for Writing a Historical Figures Essay

If you’re working on a paper about a famous historical figure who inspires you, essay writing should start with thorough research. Conduct a study on this person’s biography with a focus on them and their life. Make sure you not only cover their life but also evaluate it, demonstrating your understanding of the historical figure essay format.

And keep in mind these few tricks below! They will help you achieve better structure and give you more ideas for your inspirational people and historical figures essay.

Tip #1

When writing essays on biographical studies, you should be using many types of sources.

This requirement means that your paper should reference books, autobiographical evidence, and maybe even paintings and voice recordings. Having supporting information on the history of the period that you are studying is also essential.

Tip #2

Sources of a personal nature, such as a person’s letters, memoirs, and diaries, are valuable, and you should use them in your essay. However, you must also be aware that they may be biased, portraying the person writing them in a much better light.

Do not be afraid to be critical of what you read and, if other trusted authors support your concerns, voice them in your essay. An excellent example of a biography essay is one that does not mindlessly praise their subject.

Tip #3

Covering biographical studies topics requires using sources that may give your subject a negative evaluation. Having titles in your bibliography that oppose the character you are writing about makes your essay well rounded and comprehensive.

Taking the many personalities of the female suffrage movement in the USA as a sample topic, you could use books on both sides of the votes for women argument.

Find more ideas for writing better essays on Biographical Studies on our website!

471 Best Essay Examples on Historical Figures

Michael Jackson: His Life and Career

His father was a guitarist and he wanted his children to succeed in the music industry that served as an inspiration to the young Michael.
  • 5
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 2773

Cleopatra and Her Influence on the Ptolemaic Dynasty

C and he left the will that he allowed Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII, her younger brother, to rule the kingdom and Cleopatra was directed to wed her brother and deputy ruler because of the Egyptians' [...]
  • 2.8
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  • Words: 1456

Napoleon: A Child and Destroyer of the Revolution

The fathers of the revolution wanted to make the people free by destroying the "absolute monarchy" in the country. Napoleon supported the same idea by established new policies to safeguard the needs of the people."He [...]
  • 3.6
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  • Words: 594

Leonardo Da Vinci

The other great work by Leonardo is the Mona Lisa, which he painted in the 1500s, and it is arguably one of the most famous paintings in the world to date.
  • 3.3
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1355

Mahatma Gandhi’s Leadership

This report is an analysis of the behaviour and leadership style of Ghandi, the transactional and transformative aspects of his leadership and the way he used the power he had to help India gain Independence.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2039

“Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” by Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton's speech about women's rights effectively convinces her audience that women rights are an indispensable part of human rights through the use of logical argument, repetition, historical facts, and emotional stories.
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  • Words: 1084

The Probable Cause of Marilyn Monroe’s Death

She had many lovers, many admirers, she associated with the rich and powerful, but in the end, she was so emotionally and psychologically troubled that when she died in 1962, with bottles of drugs beside [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1916

Joseph Haydn’s Contract With the Esterhazy Court

Joseph Haydn's contract for work at the Esterhazy Court is a distinctive document that needs to be preserved because it explains the authorities' attitudes to the music and composers in the eighteenth century.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 405

The Egyptian Pharaoh vs. US President Comparison

The Pharaoh was each temple's high priest in Egypt and was the earthly representative of the Egyptian gods. The President is the head of State and does not meddle in Church/ religious affairs.
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Sonni Ali: The King of the Songhai Empire

Madogo, an influential army boss and the Gao's Tenth si, protected and supervised the growth of Ali and showcased to him how to use the incantation power when he attained an age to be referred [...]
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Martin Luther King Jr. vs. Nelson Mandela

Letter from Birmingham jail was directed to the people and the eight white clergy members in Birmingham who condemned the actions of Martin Luther in public.
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Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson Comparison

The two presidents managed to contribute to the development of the country in different ways. However, both of them managed to contribute greatly to the development of the USA and its empowerment.
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Role Model: Nelson Mandela

Through the African National Congress party, Mandela was determined to undergo any form of suffering for the sake of the South Africans blacks who were facing a lot of suffering at the hand of apartheid.
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Napoleon: Leadership Style

The extremely high level of fragmentation peculiar to Europe at that era and the absence of the single perspective on France and its growing power provided him with the time needed to create a powerful [...]
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Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey

The letter provided for the discussion was written in 1858 by Moshweshewe to Sir George High Commissioner of the Cape Colony to gain British mediation and support to dissolve the territorial contradictions with Boers.
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Fidel Castro: The Cult of Personality

Castro is a popular personality whose leadership adds greatly to the popularity of the Communist Party of Cuba in that he has helped maintain the party in power for half a century and has quelled [...]
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Napoleon Bonaparte’s Role in the French Revolution

Despite the outstanding development, Napoleon stayed in the position of the second lieutenant for six years; it was not until the beginning of the French Revolution that he was able to advance his career in [...]
  • 5
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Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass’ Comparison

He was challenged in the area of writing and was incapacitated without the skill and ability to write letters to Mr. He was then to be imprisoned, and inside the four walls of the prison, [...]
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Albert Einstein: The Life of a Genius

During the period around the First World War, Einstein was among the individuals that were against the usage of violence in resolution of conflicts.
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Khalid Ibn Al Walid

He was a wealthy chief of one of the villages in Makkah and a trader of the Bani Makhzum clan which was among the three noblest and leading clans of the Quraish People.
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Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth is credited for various reforms that she advocated and pushed for while she was still active and in various positions she was able to secure in the course of her life.
  • 4.3
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Isaac Newton, Mathematician and Scientist

Through his private studies Newton was able to discover numerous theories the primary ones being calculus, optics, the foundation of the theory of light and color, and the law of gravitation.
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What Made Pericles an Outstanding Leader in Athens

During the burial of the people who had died during the Peloponnesian war, Pericles, the son of Xanthippus was chosen to deliver a speech in their praise, and it is in his speech that some [...]
  • 3.4
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Who was Pedro Calosa?

This Church was also referred to as the church of poor Filipinos as well as the oppressed. The revolt was known as Tayug Colorum and deplored the feudal system for poor land tenure without success.
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Alfred Marshall and His Contribution to Economics

The opening sentence in the Principles of Economics is a classic definition of the subject itself: "Political economy or economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it examines that part [...]
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The Life of Harold Cardinal

Specific attention deserves such works as The Unjust Society: The Tragedy of Canada's Indians written in 1969 and The Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian, which is also famous as the White Paper.
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The Life of Imam al-Bukhari

The memorizing capability was very important to him, and it is said that during his early years of acquiring knowledge he committed over three thousand hadithas to his memory.
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Napoleon Bonaparte and Its Revolutions

In fact, by the time of his death, napoleon had acquired vast wealth due to his own ability and by the sheer luck of being in the right place at the right time.
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Colin Powell Leadership Characteristics

During Powell's service as the Joint Chief of Staff, he was involved in the decision-making process that saw the US take part in the invasion of Panama, and the Persian Gulf War.
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Carl Friedrich Gauss: The Greatest Mathematician

According to Jeremy John, Gauss' teachers and parents recommended him to the Duke of Burnswick in 1791, who financially helped him to continue his education locally and further at the University of Gottingen from 1795 [...]
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Stephen Hawking: A Prominent Scientist

This paper describes the life of Stephen Hawking and his most important works. During his university studies, he was diagnosed with ALS a disease that made him lose the ability to move and speak in [...]
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Angelina Jolie, Her Life and Behavior

Since the two separated when the actress was still a youth and the mother decided to migrate to New York and stay with her, she learnt a lot from her mother about relationships and it [...]
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Friederich Engels: Industrial Manchester, 1844

Instead of the glory and success of industrialization, Engels focused on its dark side and the price the population had to pay."Industrial Manchester" is an excerpt from Engels's book The Condition of the Working Class [...]
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Pablo Escobar Is a Robin Hood or a Villain

Specifically, the paper focuses on Pablo Escobar as a noble bandit who retaliates against the Colombian and American government through his involvement in the trafficking of cocaine and how he uses his wealth to benefit [...]
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Researching of Mark Zuckerberg’s Creativity

The essay presents the life events of Mark Zuckerberg that demonstrate his creativity and success in his career. Later on, Zuckerberg and three of his friends, Divya, Cameron, and Tyler, collaborated to create a social [...]
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“The Journals of Captain Cook” James Cook

The journals reveal "the determination, courage, and skills which enabled Cook to fight with the continuous dangers of uncharted seas and the problems of achieving a relationship with the people whose unexpected guest he became".
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Was Christopher Columbus an Imperialist?

The travel narratives of Christopher Columbus were given in the Letter and Journal of Columbus. The Letter by Columbus was addressed to his mentors namely Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, is not just a narrative [...]
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Mandela’s Leadership

He used his power to better the lives of the public in South Africa and set an example of selfless leadership.
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Julius Caesar’ Desire for Power

Unfortunately with the death of Crassus by 53 BC and Caesar's subsequent rise to power this as a result eclipsed the political standing of Pompey resulting in a distinct shift in the balance of power [...]
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How Hitler Compares to Stalin

Initially the post of General Secretary was not so powerful in the party; however, following the death Vladimir Lenin who had led the communist party from 1917, Stalin strengthened the opposition by eliminating opposition within [...]
  • Pages: 7
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Johannes Junius: Accusation of Witchcraft

The document is about the interrogation of Johannes Junius who was accused of witchcraft during the craze of 1628. He then requested to confront his witnesses and continued to deny his involvement in witchcraft after [...]
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Albert Einstein, His Life and Career

Newton was one of the key pioneers in the transition from astrology to astronomy and he formulated scientific laws that assisted scientists and ordinary people to understand the intricacies of planetary motions and how objects [...]
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Cornell McBride Sr.’s Biography

Hence, the essay elaborates on the biography and milestones in Cornell McBride, Sr's career as a Black entrepreneur in the haircare industry.
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Genghis Khan and the Modern World

The main opponents of the Mongol Empire were the Naiman tribe located in the western part of Mongolia, the Merkits who were found in the northern part of Mongolia, the Tanguts found in the south [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2581

Ned Kelly as an Iconic Figure

The life of Ned Kelly continuously attracts the attention of Australian historians, anthropologists and even sociologists, because to a large extent, this person has become a part of the national culture.
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The Rise of Hitler to Power

It was this paramilitary formed by Hitler that would cause unrest later to tarnish the name of the communists leading to distrust of communism by the Germans and on the other hand rise of popularity [...]
  • 3.3
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  • Words: 1680

Life of a Music Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The seventh child, and the second to survive, Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 to a family of gifted practicing musicians: his father, Leopold Mozart served as a violinist and composer in the Kapelle [...]
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Fatima bint Muhammad, the Daughter of a Prophet

Her position in Islam was reaffirmed by the Prophet who considered Fatima as one of the most significant women in Islam alongside the Pharaoh's wife Asiya, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the Prophet's wife, [...]
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Bill Gates: Life and Contributions

To have a clear indication of what the other part of the world needed, the couple toured Africa in 1995, and they resolved to donate part of their wealth to help the poor Africans.
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“Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela

In the fast developing world, advances and progress move countries and nations forward but at the same time, some things are left behind and become a burden for the people and evolution to better life [...]
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  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 587

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Having grown in Al Anan and experienced some of the hardships in the area, Zayed was determined on protecting the environment and the livelihoods of the people.
  • Pages: 15
  • Words: 4077

Socrates: His Life, Philosophy, & Death

The Philosopher, Socrates was a Greek and he was born in the proximities of 470 B. Much of the philosophy and life of Socrates is explained by Plato in his dialogues.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 571

Self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc and Its Impact

Today, the photograph of Thich Quang Duc's death, The Burning Monk, has become a universal symbol of rebellion and the fight against injustice. His self-immolation was an act of rejection of the system and the [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 325

William Ayers nd the Members of Weather Underground

One of their children named Zyad reflected in a book by the title Hope of The Unseen. William Ayers defined socialism as a rejection to the white dominion power and empire, the opposite of imperialism.
  • Pages: 15
  • Words: 4182

Hitler: A Study in Tyranny by Alan Bullock

The subject of the book under study is the historic personality of Adolf Hitler, the person who managed to change the flow of the European history of the twentieth century, the person who caused the [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1399

Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American Essayist

In "Power", Emerson emphasizes the significance of vital energy and the sentiment of power as a criterion of validity. In "Domestic Life" Emerson outlines the philosophical concept of a house and his thoughts on hospitality.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1451

Mao Zedong: A Philosopher Turned Into a Dictator

Although Mao Zedong is often referred to as the great dictator of the XX century, he, in fact, was considerably less harmful to China and its residents than the members of the political movements that [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 869

The Life and Work of André Rieu

The paper discusses the life of violinist called Andre Rieu with interest laid on the effects he had in the world and people, qualities of his life and the difficulties he encountered in his life.
  • Pages: 4
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James Dyson and His Success as an Entrepreneur

The bag that was supposed to act as a catcher for all the dust that the vacuum sucked up kept on getting clogged up with dust making it necessary to stop the vacuum every once [...]
  • Pages: 4
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Ho Chi Minh and Deng Xiaoping, Face to Face

Analyzing the peculiarities of the negotiation style which Ho Chi Minh and Deng Xiaoping chose to rule their country, one can possibly draw certain parallels and see the similarities between the two leaders.
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  • Words: 585

Founding Fathers of America

He is referred to as the founding father of the nation for the role he played in fighting for independence. S constitution and in 1787, he became the head of the United States of America.
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  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1125

Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Legacy

In the background of this pressure Alexander took up his campaign to Persia, conquering the people of the country and then taking their wealth and the surviving soldiers to his empire.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1883

Al Gore’s Career From Politics to Climate Advocacy

However, Al Gore remains a champion of the struggle for human rights and the environment. However, Gore's stance in favor of the death penalty and his vote for military intervention against Iraq during the Gulf [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 657

Jeff Bezos: The Richest Man in Modern History

I have read his biography by Ann Byers and the three online articles about the influence of his business on the world. Later, Bezos joined the team of the Banker's Trust, quickly rising to the [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 823

Caesar Augustus – The First Roman Emperor

In 43 BC Augustus went for war together with consuls Hirtius and Pansa against Anthony, he managed to defeat Anthony army, however he lost both of the consuls leaving him in full command of the [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1548

Eleanor Roosevelt: The Life of an Extraordinary Woman

No rubber stamp of her husband's administration, she fought for the kinds of human justice that appealed to her heart and soul - equality for African-Americans, a fair chance to earn a living for the [...]
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 3037

Heroification in American History

The history of George Washington mentions many positive facts about the man, calling him the father of the country and assigning many heroic qualities to him as a result.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 276

Christopher Columbus and His Condescending Attitude

Columbus' entrepreneurial family initiated him into the world of seafaring, however it was the expansion of the Turkish Empire that fired up his imagination with regards to testing the claim that the earth is round [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1397

Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress

Mandela as well as many other Africans was in favor of the major goals of the organization. 2 The organization was very close to African people as it was formed by Africans and for Africans.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 566

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan: The Great Man

According to the model, an effective leader identifies the business strategies, inspires employees to pursue the strategies, challenges the employees, and gives them the capacity to work in their different areas.
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  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1815

Adolf Hitler: From Patriotism to Racism

He was also forced to live and work in the city and it is was the cultural and social shock that he experienced as he transferred from the rural to the urban that changed the [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1743

Mao Zedong’s Rise to Power

They give preference to qualitative data that allows the reader to understand the opinions of Mao and his opponents. In my view, David Apter and Tony Saich were able to capture the essence of Mao [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1111

Otto von Bismarck: Life and Significance

While an individual may look at the actions of Bismarck against the greatest contributions of Emanuel Kant on perceiving actions taken as important ends and not means, and also oppose the move by Bismarck, it [...]
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 2748

Julius Caesar and Rome

Julius also lost support from the Senate because he was perceived as a leader of the masses rather than the aristocrats. To some extent, Caesar was a statesman because he cared about the needs of [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1288

Life of a Japanese Warlord: Oda Nobunaga

The Nobuhide's branch was stationed at kiyosu and was run by three elders; the second branch of the family was housed at Iwakura castle in the north of Omwari province.
  • Pages: 13
  • Words: 3525

The Life and Music of Frederic Chopin

Called "The boldest and the proudest poetic spirit of the age" by his musical contemporary Robert Schumann[1], Chopin embodied the essential ideas of the romantic period with his tragedy of losing his native land and [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1069

Thomas More and King Henry VIII, their Relationship

His fight backs with Rome directed to the disjointing of the Church of England from pontifical influence, the disbanding of the cloisters, and setting up himself as the ultimate leader of the Church of England.
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  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2369
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