Historical Figures Essay Examples and Topics

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490 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!

490 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

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
  • Pages: 2
  • 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

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 [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1107

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
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1456

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

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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 658

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.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1161

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.
  • 5
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1551

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 [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1262

Historical Interview with William Shakespeare

Shakespeare: Well, I assume you have watched the play and if you have not I would request that you do for you to understand the meaning of these words within their context.
  • 3
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1431

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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 580

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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 665

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.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1652

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 [...]
  • Pages: 15
  • Words: 3536

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 [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 603

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 [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

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: 5
  • Words: 1916

Diogenes and Alexander

Many people had lived the way he did, mainly the refugees, but he did so by choice, since his teachings emphasized that people should live a natural life, he chose to teach the people by [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 779

Julius Caesar an Iconic Roman

This was highly unexpected, as Caesar, a declared dictator, had the support of all the people of Rome, and his death resulted in administrative imbalances.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1507

Mandela’s Leadership

He used his power to better the lives of the public in South Africa and set an example of selfless leadership.
  • 3.7
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2108

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, [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1258

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

Indira Gandhi: Autocratic Leader of India

She was assassinated in 1984 by her Sikh bodyguard in revenge for her ordering the invasion of the Golden temple, which was a Sikh holy place to flush out separists hiding in the temple.
  • 3.7
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1428

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.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 295

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.
  • 5
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2253

Muhammad Ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

Bagdad brightened the world at that time with its brilliance, and the intellectual dominance of the Arab civilization influenced the Western Europe to a great extent.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 329

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, [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1488

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 [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 952

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
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1511

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.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 965

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

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 [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1513

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

“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.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1084

“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 [...]
  • 5
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 587

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 [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 435

Odysseus Strengths and Weaknesses

He was a legendary king of Ithaca and arguably the hero in the poem called Homer. He was diplomatic and his skills came to the fore when disagreements arose in the war camps.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 568

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 [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1131

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

Wu Zhao: The First and Only Female Emperor of China

Wu Zhao is not only a compelling historical figure to study because of her gender but also because of the circumstances that surrounded her ascendancy to the throne plus the fact that she was not [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2824

The Life and Legacy of John Wesley

Wesley was not like any other minister of the gospel but he was a courageous and spirit-filled minister of the gospel who preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, impacting millions of people.
  • 4
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1769

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
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1680

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.
  • 5
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1125

Nathaniel Bacon’s Declaration of the People

Although the rebellion was defeated, many of the demands made by the rebels were complied with soon after, in order to pacify the population and improve the public image of Virginia's ruling elite.
  • 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.
  • 5
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1815

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 [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2535

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.
  • 5
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2369

William Bradford’s personality

In his childhood, Bradford had to endure the loss of several of his close family members. The success he had in the leadership position was largely due to his resolute personality.
  • 5
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 561

Historians and Literary Writers of Colonial Period

John Smith, William Bradford, and John Winthrop helped England in establishing colonies in the U.S. John Smith, William Bradford, and John Winthrop play a crucial role in the establishment of English colonies in the U.S.and [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 841

Elon Mask: Biography and Main Virtues

Elon Musk believes that the more time a person has and the smaller his plan, the weaker progress he will achieve. Musk is admired for the many positive traits he brings to his work.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 887

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 [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1173

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 [...]
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2367

Nelson Mandela: Analysis of Personality

For instance, there is no way he could fully involve himself in all that he did according to the theory of traits and succeed without having made the right decision by choosing to do as [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 876

Elizabeth Bloomer Ford’s Leadership Development

Due to her sincere and open personality, self-awareness, and morality, she became an authentic leader who was able to take advantage of even from negative life events and transform them into the welfare of the [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 648

Isocrates: Antidosis and Panathenaicus

This he does by teaching them the art and creativity of speech for the sole purpose of getting advantage over their peers. He was a proponent of multiculturalism who invited the barbarians and the Greek [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 407

Yusuf ibn-Ayyub Salah-al-Din

Because of his exploits in the Crusades, Saladin is perceived as the chief "hero" of the Crusades by both his Islamic side and the Christian side.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1410

Bernard de Fontenelle’s Literature Identity

According to the standards of that period, this was arguably the best education that a person could get in France. At this point, we can say that the question which reemerges in different works of [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1380

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
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1377

Edward Snowden: A Hero or a Traitor

As part of the discourse on Snowden's social responsibility, one of the central themes of the essay is to determine the moral background of the government's actions in collecting personal data.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1737

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 [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1361

The Changing Legacy of Christopher Columbus

The current legacy of Columbus states that he was the first person to discover America and that he had set sail to prove that the Earth was round and hence an oceanic voyage westward would [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 542

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
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1956

Adolf Hitler Life and Strategies

This research paper critically analyses the life of Hitler as the president of Germany and the extent he went to conquer the whole world which he sought to do.
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3139

Eli Whitney Life and Influence

On the whole, he demonstrated the importance of the scientific method for the progress of the country. This is one of the reasons why the slave economy of the South was in decline at the [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1680

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

The Life of John Pierpont Morgan

At Duncan Sherman and Co, he spent the first few months as a copyist and later advanced to positions of higher responsibility due to his father's influence in the business world.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1098

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

Jane Cunningham Croly: Fighting for Women Rights

The problem of women inequality with men had been considered in the society and Jane Cunningham Croly was one of those who wanted to contribute to the movement, and her journalistic activity was that measure.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1353

The Evolution of the American Hero

American culture has numerous characteristics, and the definition of a true hero is one of those aspects that have to be developed both from inside and outside of society; the evolution of the American heroic [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1141

Thomas Paine Versus Thomas Jefferson

In Common Sense, Thomas Paine adopted an informal tone to influence his audience; in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson adopted a formal manner to express his thoughts.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 340

Ali ibn Abi Talib Biography

This paper describes the Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Fourth Caliph of the Muslims, History of his life, the way he think, his battles, accomplishments and how did he die.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 282

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

Genghis Khan: Style of Leadership

By the time of Genghis Khan's death in 1227, Mongol Empire was stretching from the easternmost shores of China to the Caspian Sea.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 3104

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
  • Words: 1220

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.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2300

The Life and Times of Sir Francis Walsingham

Of relevance in the paper is the discussion of the nature of work and tasks that he was involved in and how they shaped the field of intelligence then and in the contemporary times.
  • Pages: 13
  • Words: 3529

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.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1451

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul

In 1958 Brown and his band were propelled to the top of the charts by the hit single Try Me and it remained to be the best of Brown's best tracks for a period of [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2151
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