Historical Figures Essay Examples and Topics

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474 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!

474 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

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
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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
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1956

“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

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

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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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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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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.
  • 2.8
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  • Words: 3275

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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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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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
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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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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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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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Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

However, his oratory skills were not always perfect and at some point in his life, he had to contend with speech impediment that he overcame to become the perfect orator.
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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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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.
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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.
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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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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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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.
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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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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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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Cleopatra – The Queen of Egypt

The queen wanted the assistance of Caesar, and thus she found a way of going to the Regal citadel to speak to Caesar and request for her cause for action.
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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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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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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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Napoleon Bonaparte and the Enlightenment

He negotiated the Concordat of 1801 to win the faith of the Catholics and regulated public worship in France. He bought the trust of the Pope and thus he was able to use religion as [...]
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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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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

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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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.
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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

“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
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  • Words: 587

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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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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John Brown and His Beliefs About Slavery

John Brown was a martyr, his last effort to end slavery when he raided Harper's Ferry helped to shape the nation and change the history of slavery in America.
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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 [...]
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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
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1511

Frederick McKinley Jones’ Life and Accomplishments

His utterance aimed to inspire the youths and the public to work hard, as nothing is easily achieved. Jones urged the public to get educated, as knowledge was critical in facilitating his innovations.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1405

Gloria Steinem: Political Activist and Feminist Leader

Thesis: Gloria Steinem's direct, bold, argumentative, and explicit style of conveying her ideas and values is the result of her political activism, feminist leadership, and her grandmother, Pauline Perlmutter Steinem.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 861

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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 580

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

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

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

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

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

Hiram Fong: Political and Life History

In 1935, he graduated and returned to Honolulu where he was employed as a city clerk and after a short period, he was promoted to deputy city attorney. After the war, he returned to Honolulu [...]
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Winston Churchill: What Makes a Leader?

For instance, Churchill's experience as the First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911 was seen as a negative one and caused him to resign: he was widely criticized for the naval failures that happened under [...]
  • 1
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  • Words: 565

Cleopatra: The Last Queen of Egypt

Cleopatra was the only female ruler in prehistoric times to customarily govern autonomously- not simply as an heir to her late husband- but to a great extent; she attempted to rescue and save a dying [...]
  • 2.3
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 576

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

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.
  • 2.3
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1118

Last Night I dreamed of Peace

She also makes her decision to move to South Vietnam because of her spirited heart of humanity and love and long for an end of the war and the sufferings and pains subjected to the [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1054

Minamoto No Yoritomo: The First Shogun

According to Weston, the Civil War between the samurai clans of Minamoto and Taira in 1160 led to what the defeat of Minamoto in what was called Heiji rebellion. Japan was under the control of [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1088
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