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
Tara Tsosie
/ April 21, 2014Thank Ya’ll this has helped me find what I need.
Jen
/ April 16, 2014Ha great website for speeches and for argumentative writing 🙂 Great job!
azu
/ April 16, 2014I agree 🙂
Rivers
/ April 10, 2014I like no. 31
Cassidy Chief
/ April 4, 2014What is persuasive topic.
Mr. Morton
/ April 4, 2014A persuasive essay or speech topic is one in which the topic can be effectively argued both ways. For example: Should state colleges be free for all residents? A compelling argument can be constructed to support either side of the argument.
Tim
/ April 4, 2014man, it helped me a lot. thank you
S
/ April 3, 2014This is very helpful thanks
bob
/ April 3, 2014this is the best site for grade 7
Mee Aperson
/ April 10, 2014What about grade 8?! That’s the most biased thing I’ve ever heard!
kitty
/ April 1, 2014Very helpful
calista
/ March 31, 2014this is awesome it helps
BigT
/ March 27, 2014Very Helpful THXX!
hue-janus
/ March 25, 2014Alot of ideas i’ve heard of, I need some fresh topics.
Lexi
/ March 25, 2014Very helpful. Some of these were so funny!
HAHAHA
/ March 25, 2014This is LIKE SOOOO HELPFUL
unknown
/ March 17, 2014is 54 really necessary common guys get it together
Mr. Morton
/ April 21, 2014And the debate begins…
punky
/ March 10, 2014pretty helpful thanks =)
Dennis
/ March 10, 2014very helpful
bob hong
/ March 10, 2014hahah i died reading some of theses
Nada
/ March 4, 2014Thanks for the help 🙂
tara bell
/ March 4, 2014Thanks this is very helpfull I couldn’t find anything else anywhere I looked!!
sonia
/ February 26, 2014thank you very much
yeasir
/ March 18, 2014you are right sonia
Phillip
/ February 25, 2014This website gave me soooooo many ideas. I want to add: Should students at school get more food then given?
Parker Brown
/ February 18, 2014These topics are great! Just some of them are very interesting…
zarena owens
/ February 13, 2014These really did help me
Alden
/ February 3, 2014this is great
Tyler
/ January 31, 2014Very helpful thanks
aditya
/ January 30, 2014love this website!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mocking jay
/ January 30, 2014thanks! so helpful.
Jimmy
/ January 22, 2014This was probably the funniest thing ever yet it still helped
Borchers
/ January 14, 2014Very helpful – I wish I’d seen it before my Inclusion students did their persuasive speech – really is helping my resource students with ideas!
lisa
/ January 13, 2014thanks this was awsome for a report and to think about!!!!
nathan simmons
/ January 13, 2014i love this site
Quinn
/ January 8, 2014Thanks this really helped me!!! 🙂
Lila
/ December 30, 2013Thanks so much 🙂
Cat
/ December 18, 2013This was extremely helpful. Im in 10th grade and for the life of me i couldn’t figure out a topic. This was great , and my teacher actually sent this website to the class !
Stef
/ December 12, 2013This was very helpful and helped me get 100% on my persuasive writing keep giving ideas to write about! That could help a lot of people.
THANK YOU!!!!
nautica
/ December 11, 2013thanks for the great ideas they were very helpful.
Angel
/ December 4, 2013Great Ideas! Helped me out a lot on my essay for english. Thanks!
Lalita
/ November 25, 2013These were helpful. It pointed me in the right direction of thought 🙂
nick
/ November 19, 2013this was helpful
Sarah
/ November 18, 2013These were quite helpful, I am very thankful that you were able to post these for the world-wide interweb to view!
Allison
/ November 18, 2013how very nice of you
Mee Aperson
/ April 10, 2014OH! SOOOO nice! It’s so nice… you don’t even know!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eva
/ November 13, 2013Great thank you!!
lilk :)
/ November 11, 2013it did not really help me
Felix
/ November 11, 2013Interesting how many of these “Should blablabla be legal?” scenarios are already legal in sweden and isn’t even discussed.
Mike
/ April 2, 2014I know what you mean… It does go for countries like the U.S.A. and others alike.
Wyatt
/ April 25, 2014Wait a minute your name is Felix, and you’re from Sweden? Are you pewdiepie :D?
Emily
/ May 21, 2014That’s what I was thinking!
blake
/ October 9, 2013thank you guys for the help.
jordan
/ October 4, 2013lots of great idea
Vanessa Macedo
/ April 24, 2014You don’t use proper grammer
Toby
/ May 3, 2014And you can’t spell.
Henry
/ May 16, 2014You don’t know how to spell. *grammar
Kaelan
/ May 22, 2014Grammar*
Mandy
/ October 3, 2013helpful.
carissa aranda
/ September 23, 2013oh my gosh thank you so much you helped me out alot i am going to use many of theses for my persuasive essay thank you thank you thank you! !!
LEE
/ September 18, 2013This really helps i bet i will get an A+
yo fish
/ September 15, 2013This are the best topics i ever saw because some topics have a pretty good relationship when it comes to school stuff