101 Persuasive Essay and Speech Topics
By: Mr. Morton
Whether you are a student in need of a persuasive essay topic, or a teacher looking to assign a persuasive essay, this list of 101 persuasive essay topics is a great resource. I taxed my brain to create this huge list of persuasive essay topics relevant to today’s society, but I believe it was worth the effort. Additionally, any of these topics could be applied to a persuasive speech project as well. I appreciate any and all comments or feedback. Thank you for visiting!
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- Should students be allowed to have phones in elementary and high schools?
- Should students have to wear uniforms?
- Should college athletes be paid for playing?
- Should the elderly receive free bus rides?
- Should state colleges be free to attend?
- Should all American citizens have to complete a year of community service?
- Should students be required to take Spanish classes?
- Should marijuana be legal for medicinal purposes?
- Should the voting age be lowered to thirteen?
- Should the driving age be raised to twenty-one?
- Should students be paid for having good grades?
- Should illegal immigrants be allowed to get drivers licenses?
- Should not wearing a seat-belt be illegal?
- Should student’s textbooks be replaced by notebook computers or tablets?
- Should students have to pass a basic skills test to graduate high school?
- Should schools raise money by selling candy and sugary soft drinks to students?
- Should schools serve french-fries and fried potato products to students at lunch?
- Should students’ grades in gym affect their grade point averages?
- Should girls be allowed to play on boys sports teams?
- Should teens be able to buy violent video games?
- Should boys and girls be in separate classes?
- Should teenage girls be allowed to get birth control without the permission of their parents?
- Should our country have free health care?
- Should immigration laws be reformed?
- Should the federal government recognize civil unions?
- Should people who download music and movies illegally be punished?
- Should school athletes have to be on the honor roll to play in games?
- Should music with curse words be allowed at school dances?
- Should public schools begin the day with a silent prayer time?
- Should students be able to listen to music on headphones during study hall?
- Should schools offer fast food options like McDonald’s or Taco Bell?
- Should smoking be allowed at parks and other outdoor public venues?
- Should cities offer free public Wi-Fi?
- Should the government place a tax on junk food and fatty snacks?
- Should the 2nd amendment give citizens the right to own assault weaponry?
- Should people traveling in airplanes have to undergo intensive security screenings?
- Should genetically modified foods be sold with a warning label?
- Should teachers have to pass a basic skills test every ten years to renew their certification?
- Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals like chimpanzees or tigers?
- Should people be allowed to keep pit-bull dogs?
- Should the city offer a bike sharing program?
- Should there be an ordinance citing people who fail to recycle $50?
- Should there be an ordinance citing people who play music too loudly $50?
- Should prostitution be legalized and regulated by the government?
- Should celebrities who break the law face stricter penalties?
- Should the government increase spending on the space program?
- Should larger passengers have to pay for two plane or movie theater tickets?
- Should children have to use booster seats in cars?
- Should people have to get a license to become parents?
- Should there be tougher federal restrictions for content on the internet?
- Should people be allowed to curse on daytime television?
- Should owners be legally accountable for clearing snow from sidewalks on their property?
- Should sexual education be taught in public schools?
- Should students be able to get free condoms at school?
- Should students who commit cyber-bullying be suspended from school?
- Should corporations be allowed to advertise in schools?
- Should students be allowed to eat during class?
- Should more be done to protect and preserve endangered animals?
- Is it appropriate for students and teachers to be friends on Facebook?
- Should students have open campus lunch periods?
- Should abortions be legal?
- Should abortions be legal in cases of rape and incest?
- Should the death penalty be used to punish violent criminals?
- Should students learn about world religions in public schools?
- Should schools start later in the morning?
- Should the USA end overseas military operations?
- Should politicians be allowed to accept campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists?
- Should people with terminal illnesses have the right to doctor assisted suicides?
- Should Puerto Rico become a state?
- Should stem cell researchers be able to use stem cells from aborted babies to cure diseases?
- Should school athletes have to take drug tests?
- Should professional athletes have to take drug tests?
- Should America convert to the metric system?
- Should high school students have to complete community service hours to graduate?
- Should teens over 13 years of age be allowed into R rated movies?
- Should state tests be given in other languages for ESL students?
- Should scientists be allowed to test products intended for human use on animals?
- Should unhealthy fast food products be sold with a warning label?
- Should there be a tariff or tax on products manufactured outside of the country?
- Should students or teachers receive money for scoring well on standardized tests?
- Should everyone under the age of 17 have a 9:00 PM curfew?
- Should schools with low scores on standardized tests be closed?
- Should minors be allowed to drink alcoholic beverages in their homes with their parents’ consent?
- Should students be allowed to drop out before they turn 18 years old?
- Should alcohol manufacturers be allowed to advertise on television?
- Should students as young as fourteen be allowed to hold jobs?
- Should American families have a two child max rule to limit population growth?
- Should children younger than thirteen be allowed to watch MTV or music videos?
- Should people who are caught driving drunk lose their licenses for a year?
- Should students who fail their classes be retained and have to repeat the grade?
- Should large businesses and corporations be required to employ a number of minorities proportionate to the population?
- Should female construction workers earn the same wages as males?
- Should children in temporary living situations with a 3.0 GPA earn free college tuition?
- Should gambling and sports-betting be illegal or should the government regulate it?
- Should children who commit violent crimes be tried as adults?
- Should the government be allowed to detain suspected terrorists without trial?
- Should the government censor internet content deemed inappropriate?
- Should teachers have to wear uniforms or have a dress code?
- Should teachers be allowed to have cell phones in the classroom?
- Should the state execute dogs that have bitten someone?
- Should talking on a phone without a hands-free device while driving be illegal?
These essay topics ought to be enough to get you started.
Looking For Something Else?
How to Write Persuasive Essays
How to Write Narrative Essays
Narrative Essay Topics
Research Paper Topics
Hanaa
/ September 19, 2016Thanks for the list you are the best.
Zoe
/ September 7, 2016Thank you for this website!! These really helped me!! Although, I can’t decide between:
Should students have to wear uniforms?
Should state colleges be free to attend?
Should our country have free health care?
Miranda
/ September 6, 2016this should not be seen by younger viewers!!
Mr. Morton
/ September 10, 2016Why is that?
Louise
/ September 15, 2016But it helps young people get ideas for persuasive essay’s.
Bill
/ October 7, 2016Yes miranda, why is that?
Bob Marley
/ December 16, 2016Trying to censor or shield the youth from these topics is a dumb idea. They need to learn this from a young age so they can make good decisions when they get older. Next time you comment anything, first think to yourself is this a dumb idea?
lila
/ March 23, 2017i agree
Alexandra
/ June 1, 2017good choice of words
Ryan
/ July 21, 2016Thanks Mr. Morton for this! I’m sure it will help me in preparing for my examinations! Your work is very appreciated!
Kathleen
/ July 8, 2016A great list for my summer school group as or theme unit is: “I Believe! Writing Strong Arguments by using persuasive language:
rachel
/ July 6, 2016Omg love the subjects. Just the ones I need to use in class when we get persuasuve assingments!! 🙂
kirsten
/ June 20, 2016hi this is kirsten , i found this website so helpfully , keep it up guys
marama
/ June 15, 2016great website love the topics!!
Mack Sims
/ June 14, 2016The lesson was everything, needed to get the job done, very helpful.
Malia
/ May 26, 2016This is awesome
Kelly
/ May 23, 2016These are really helpful, but when you start to go down the list, it gets less creative, and more to the things people usually just disapprove, or that kids just want
Auzburt Tellis
/ May 22, 2016I don’t really understand these questions.
Dr Aaron Atia
/ May 14, 2016Thank you so much for this helpful site. It contains good topics that would appeal for a great cross section of the s students.
Lauren
/ May 13, 2016This website was very helpful for what I was looking for. It gave me a variety of questions to look at. This website is great…!
billy
/ May 4, 2016This was so helpful that I presented a speech from here and got reported to the police for the topic I chose. Thank you so much
Callie
/ June 22, 2016LOL! What topic did you pick?
jfraser2
/ May 2, 2016I love this website! Its awesome.
leon turner
/ June 22, 2016that was so nice of you BigFra
unknown
/ May 2, 2016THANK THANK YOU youre the best mr morton –
unknown
/ May 2, 2016could you add some topics related to the environment,i mean we’re studying it but really interesting and sick ideas.
kiana
/ May 1, 2016I thought this was a great website but i am not sure which topic to choose.
diana
/ April 27, 2016i love this!!!!!!
thank you
/ April 20, 2016this is a really useful website
thank you
/ April 20, 2016this is such a useful website
Cristhian
/ April 14, 2016I got on punishment and the teacher made me do this so yea but its helpful thoe
Ruchi
/ April 14, 2016This was so helpful!
Thank you.
No name
/ April 9, 2016License to be a parent…who has the right to decide who gets to have kids? I see the reason, some people shouldn’t. I feel like this could be debated forever. Also please do not contact this email
Unknown
/ April 6, 2016Would a topic on having sign language in schools be a good persuasive essay?
Mr. Morton
/ May 5, 2016That’d be a great topic. I encourage you to go for it!
Shakeel Dayal
/ March 29, 2016These are awesome topics. I’m modifying some and using it to prepare my daughter.The comments are also very useful to broaden the thinking horizon.
Nice resource Mr Morton.
Thank you.
blake
/ March 29, 2016website was helpful
Reece
/ March 25, 2016best website
Mike
/ March 21, 2016Should children who commit violent crimes be tried as adults?
–A good topic, but by mentioning that they should be tried as adults, I assume you mean making them subject to the harsher penalties like life with/without parole or even the death penalty.
In 2012 it was ruled unconstitutional for a minor to be given life without parole for any instance in which a minor committed homicide. There are still people in jail that were given these types of sentences, approximately 2500, and in Michigan specifically there are offenders fighting for their right to get a chance at parole with the new law change. The topic listed should maybe be tweaked to show this – instead of implying that minors can still receive such penalties.
alma
/ March 21, 2016Very helpful! I will be doing,”should state colleges be fee to attend?”
Tracee
/ March 18, 2016This website really helped me
Levi
/ March 14, 2016This is a great website!! and filled with so many smart people
Olivia
/ March 12, 2016I’m doing Should people be allowed to keep pit-bull dogs. I think people should. Pit-bull are known to be vicious but its the trainers fault. Since pit-bulls are so good at fighting, people train most of them to attack. But if you train them not to be vicious, then of course, they will do their best to please you. Btw, thank you Mr. Morton
Sara
/ March 24, 2016Saying its the trainers fault is so wrong. I know many families, one in particualr that had a very kind loving pit and they were kind and loving to it and one day it just snapped and bit its owner. Pits have been inbred for years and that causes unstable dogs. People need to wake up and see that pits have a history of lashing out regardless of training.
Kim
/ April 4, 2016Talk about prejudicial. ANY dog can “snap”, Melissa. I’ve seen more of other breed attacks in my 25 year career in animal welfare. Cocker Spaniels are MOST know to flip a mental switch. (Research ‘cocker-rage’).
You train of thinking is exactly why all of the misinformation is out there. That and the media “loving a good story” are why pits have the worst reps.
Rashard
/ May 5, 2016The most aggressive breed, the study found, was the Dachshund. The researchers discovered that that one in five have bit or attempted to bite a stranger, and one in twelve have lashed out at their owners. Chihuahuas were in second place, and Jack Russells were the third most aggressive breed. Up to 30 percent of these smaller breeds have bit or attempted to bite unfamiliar dogs.
Pit Bulls and Rottweilers scored about average to below average in the study.
diana
/ April 27, 2016i feel u…
mo
/ March 10, 2016This is a really good website. I really like it!
Imms
/ March 6, 2016Thanks a lot for the topics. I didn’t know many topics
Mark
/ March 5, 2016This is helpful
TheOneAndOnlyMe
/ March 1, 2016These are some great ideas! I am probably going to do should our country have free health care.
Evangelion
/ March 1, 2016Thank you for the ideas I have a pretty good idea on which one i’m doing
trickshot
/ February 25, 2016Super helpful thanks
Chyenne
/ February 24, 2016such great ideas an amazing site
**********
/ February 23, 2016I am a student and I was using this for some ideas, for my opinion piece. This really helped me with my homework! These were also very helpful/great ideas!!!!!!!!! 😉
mya
/ February 23, 2016Very helpfullllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
hayden
/ February 19, 2016these are cool
Fara
/ February 16, 2016Very important
hello
/ February 16, 2016LOVE IT!!!!!!
Fenil
/ February 15, 2016I really like this website it was very useful to me and i see lots of others who saw this website loved it.Thanks for all the time and effort you put in this list.Thanks a lot Mr.Morton!!!!!
abc
/ February 8, 2016its perfect……………. I really love it…….
cheif long horn
/ February 16, 2016bruh
Rainbow
/ February 5, 2016Wow those were some real easy topics thanks mr Morton
Elyse
/ January 28, 2016Thank you so much for the topics, they are wonderful.