Historical Figures Essay Examples and Topics

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.

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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!

530 Best Essay Examples on Historical Figures

Michael Jackson: His Life and Career

5
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.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2773

Cleopatra and Her Influence on the Ptolemaic Dynasty

2.4
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' [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1456

Napoleon: A Child and Destroyer of the Revolution

3.5
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 [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 594

Leonardo Da Vinci

4
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.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1355
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The Rise of Hitler to Power

3.3
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 [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1680

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

5
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.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1551
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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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 580

Sojourner Truth

4.3
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.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1377

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

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

Indira Gandhi: Autocratic Leader of India

3
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.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1428

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

3
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.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1431
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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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 665

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

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

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

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
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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 [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1513

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

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

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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 303

The Life and Legacy of John Wesley

4
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.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1769

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Role in the French Revolution

5
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 [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1956

What Made Pericles an Outstanding Leader in Athens

3.4
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 [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1511

Bill Gates: Life and Contributions

5
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.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2253
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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.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 405

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

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
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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

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

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

Heroes – Nelson Mandela

Instead, Mandela chose to remain behind the bars for the rest of his life and by putting his feet down in defense of his people's rights, his long struggle would finally grant South Africans their [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 786

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
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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 [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2796

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

“Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela

5
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 [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 587

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan: The Great Man

5
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.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1815
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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 [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2535

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

The Life of Zora Neale Hurston

As Hurston later glorifies in her literary works, the town was the first to offer African Americans the chance to live freely and independent of the Whites, as they desired.
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2499

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

George Appo’s Autobiography

At the 'Sing Sing' prison, where he served most of his sentences, Appo describes the brutality and torture he and the other convicts experienced at the hands of the guards.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1403

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

Founding Fathers of America

5
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.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1125

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

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.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2763
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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: 2
  • Words: 1054

Colin Powell Leadership Characteristics

2.8
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.
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3275

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
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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
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Analysis of Christopher Columbus Voyage

5
According to Butterway, the fallacy anchored on the aim of Christopher's voyages was that he was not motivated by the possibility of gaining more wealth for himself and his Spanish government, but to construct the [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1275

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
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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

R. G. LeTourneau: A Life of an Inventor

Cloaked with his faith in God he proved to the world that he can move mountains out of his inventions.R.G. That God sees the heart of King David and dwells in him to manifest God's [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1560

Roman History: Caesar Augustus

During Augustus's reign, the Roman Empire conquered Egypt, the land along the southern bank of the Danube, the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as the territory between the Rhine and the Elbe.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 652

The Life of Benjamin Franklin

His government duty as a diplomatic official and an ambassador led to the establishment of the American constitution and American flag and currency, which was unique among all the nations.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 567

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
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Bureaucracy in “The Power Broker” by Robert Caro

Moses kept on expanding his knowledge in matters of administration, power and public relations through interaction with influential people and those in power, and in the 1930s, Moses had already earned himself a good reputation [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1809

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

Franklin Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler: Leaders Ways

This paper aims to reveal the cause of the problems faced by the United States and Germany as identified by their leaders in inaugural speeches and the ways Roosevelt and Hitler were planning to solve [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 840
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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

Mercy Otis Warren: Liberal Woman and Explorer

3.7
Warren's place, as a woman, gave her plenty of time to consider the activities of the revolution and offered a keyhole, which allowed her to record the events of the war.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1182

Thomas More and King Henry VIII, their Relationship

5
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.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2376

A Short Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr

The aim of the proposed study is to explore the factors between the occurrence of King's principles in a world of racial discrimination and the impact of non-violence and civil disobedience in the world of [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 340

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: 3
  • Words: 1451
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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

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.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1311

Life and Achievements of Max Weber

Chapter 7 of the book deals with the life and achievements of German sociologist Max Weber, one of the greatest sociologists of the end of the 19th beginning of the 20th century.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 564

Malcolm X: Life and Influence in History

Upon release on Parole Malcolm becomes a model citizen and an active member of the Detroit temple of the Nation of Islam. Even after his parole, he remained very active in organizing his fellows and [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 990

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
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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

Mandela’s Leadership

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

The Epic of Sundiata

His role as a leader among the Mandinka people of Mali since the time when he founded the Mali Empire in the year 1230, till his sudden death in 1255 propelled him to the rank [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 769
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