Essays and Research Papers on Historical Figures

A 7 page paper which discusses how no matter how distant society removes itself from nature, it still has a concern for the wilderness and the rural. The paper utilizes three essays/stories in this examination. The essays/stories are Zora Neale Hurston’s How it Feels to be Colored Me, Flannery O’Connor’s The Life you Save May ...

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech I Have a Dream on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 celebrating the centennial of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation remains one of his most intelligent and poetic speeches in the American mind. It succeeded at accomplishing this by a dynamically synthesized use of communication techniques while ...

A 5 page analysis of Frederick Douglass's autobiography, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The writer analyzes this work, drawing on critical opinion. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This is a 12 page paper on the lives, accomplishments and writings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both visionaries in the way the dedicated their lives and writings to the pursuit of equality for African Americans. Their methods are perceived as slightly different however ...

8 pages in length. Discussion of Booker T. Washington's infamous address at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia (1895). Analyzes speech's effectiveness, organization, motives, and audience from a persuasive communication perspective. Includes relevant terminology and theories cited from 1 communications textbook listed in bibliography.

A 4 page analysis of Dr. Martin Luther King's infamous 'I Have a Dream Speech' from a communications perspective. The write examines King's structure, organization, use of the Toulmin Format, and the persuasive content of his argument(s). No Bibliography.

This is a 7 page paper discussing the lives and the self-improvement writings of Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass. In Franklin’s “Autobiography” he helped formulate a plan that others could follow as a guide for self-improvement and improvement in society. Douglass’ “Narrative” documented his life as a slave and the freedom it attained in order ...

A 7 page paper which examines how “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” written in 1789, is perhaps a very powerfully influential piece that helped many other slaves to write down their narratives for publication such as Frederick Douglass. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

This 7 page paper is written in first person as if Thurgood Marshall were writing himself about the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The life and times of Marshall is discussed with an emphasis on the case. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

(5pp) I wonder if the man who taught himself to read and write would be surprised with his current legendary historical status? To try and answer that question we will examine this third account of his experiences, The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass published in 1881. This volume covered the ...

This is a 5 page paper discussing the black revolutionary movement in the 1960s as more intense than the struggle today. The black revolutionary movement that existed during the 1960s Civil Rights struggle has been said to have diminished greatly over the years. Writers, orators and activists such as Malcolm X and H. Rap Brown ...

This 7 page paper takes the form of a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, bringing him up to date on the struggles of the black community since he wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the writers Frederick Douglass and Harriet E. Wilson in relationship to the anger they present towards the whites in the North through their writing. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page essay that analyzes the goals and intentions of Harriet Jacobs in writing her account of her life as a slave, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. The writer relates this slave narrative to the gender roles of that era. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page essay that discusses the views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, two of the most renowned leaders of Black Americans in the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries, on education for Black Americans. Washington emphasized general education and vocational/industrial studies and Du Bois favored having higher education being made more ...

A 4 page paper which examines Mary M. Bethune’s contribution to adult education. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 6 page paper presents biographical information but also looks at the man's strengths and weaknesses. His role in government is explored and his character is discussed. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A comparison and contrast of “The History of Mary Prince” and “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page paper traces the history of Diaspora Africans in New York from about 1650 through the early 20th century. Major highlights include the African Burial Ground, Five Points, Sandy Ground, Harriet Tubman, Underground Railroad, The SIlent Protest, the Riots of New York, and more. Bibliography lists 13 sources.

This 6 page report discusses the life and accomplishments of Marcus Mosiah Garvey who, between 1916 and 1927, led the largest movement in history against racism, against the domination of blacks by whites everywhere. Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) serve as a meaningful connecting point for understanding black America’s centuries-long battle for liberty, fairness, and equality. ...

This paper examines the impact of abolitionst and former slave Frederick Douglass on the anti-slavery movement of the mid-1800s. Examined are Douglass' history, as well as his development and execution as a writer, speaker and publisher/editor. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 4 page paper examines the history and influence of this company that was instrumental in the promotion of African American musicians. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses how Martin Luther King Jr.'s approach to civil rights, utilizing non-violence, was an effective weapon in making changes to civil rights involvement. The paper also discusses how Jim Crow laws, Plessy v Ferguson, and Brown v Board of Education also played into this approach. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 9 page paper discusses the contributions of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The writer recounts Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 and also explains the segregation laws concerning the buses in Montgomery. A ...

This is a 5 page paper discussing Briton Hammon’s narrative and elements which seem to go against the norms of the time. Briton Hammon’s narrative of his thirteen years at sea seems in many ways to go against the norms of society believed to have existed at that time. Hammon, a slave, was released by ...