Topics

Return to Persuasive Essay Persuasive Research Essay Topics Remember - your topic must be "research-able"! If there are no valid sources available for research, you may not choose it!! *You may NOT write about abortion, the death penalty, assisted suicide, the legalization of marijuana, or gay marriage!*

[|ProCon.org] - a great resource to start your project/generate ideas.

**Successful Past BHS Persuasive Essays:**
 * Athletes should not be drafted out of high school.
 * The US should be using alternate energy sources.
 * The image of women in music videos is degrading.
 * Juveniles who commit serious crimes should be tried as adults.
 * Women should be able to play in the NBA.
 * Cloning should not be legalized.
 * Rappers perpetuate poverty, violence, and sexual degradation.
 * A college education should be free.
 * State colleges should be free for residents.
 * International foreign born basketball players should not e allowed to play in the NBA.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Others...
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">From @http://www.personal.kent.edu/~hnsmith/topiclist.htm
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should boxing be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should the driving age be raised to 18?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should semi-automatic weapons be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should teens who murder be executed?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should hunting be outlawed?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should recycling be mandatory?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should schools require student uniforms?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should college athletes be paid?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should condoms be available in high school?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should handguns be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should legal immigration be stopped?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should dying people be kept on life support?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should tobacco products be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should the logging industry be allowed to harvest public forests?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should state lotteries be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should alcoholic beverages be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should alcoholic beverages be legalized for all ages?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should the Internet be censored?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should school prayer be allowed?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should music lyrics be censored?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should extremist groups (i.e. ***, skinheads) be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should parents of teen vandals be held responsible for their child's damage?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should research on cloning be discontinued?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should convicted sex offenders' names be made public?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should affirmative action laws which give special privileges to minorities be eliminated?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should a rookie salary cap be enforced in pro sports?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should the U.S. provide foreign aid?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should females in the military be excluded from combat and other "hazardous" duties?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should high schools be segregated by the sex of the student?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should parents of students who are excessively absent from school be prosecuted under the law?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should "home schooling" be permitted?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should Native Americans be allowed to have gambling casinos on their reservations?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should students failing their classes in high school have their driver's license revoked?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should pros be allowed to draft college athletes before they graduate?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should wolves be reintroduced to public lands?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should free, disposable needles be given to drug addicts?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should adopted children be given the choice of contacting their biological parents?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should mothers who give their children up for adoption be allowed to keep their identity secret?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should welfare be limited by time?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should all pregnant women be required to take an AIDS test?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should off-shore drilling be banned?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should school funding come from local property taxes?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should casino gambling be legalized in Ohio?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should the U.S. phase out the Electoral College (regarding presidential elections)?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should abortion be legal?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should students be required to pass proficiency tests in order to graduate from high school?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should people pulled over fur DUI have their license suspended for life?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should pagers and cell phones be allowed in school?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should families of victims be allowed to decide the punishment of those who commit crimes?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Should smoking be allowed in school?

[]
 * 1) Should pornography be restricted by law?
 * 2) What is the impact of automation on American culture and lifestyles?
 * 3) Should newspaper reporters be required to reveal their sources?
 * 4) Should law or custom regarding American funeral practices be revised?
 * 5) Should parents and other interested citizens censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools?
 * 6) Where and how, if at all, should sex education be conducted?
 * 7) Should the United States have mandatory military conscription? For whom?
 * 8) Should laws regarding minimum wage (or the forty-hour work week) be revised?
 * 9) Should mandatory (or voluntary) prayer be permitted in public schools?
 * 10) Should the government provide child day care centers for working parents?
 * 11) Should donors or their families be compensated for organ donations? How should people be selected to receive donor organs?
 * 12) Should homosexuals be permitted to serve in the armed forces?
 * 13) Should genetic engineering be controlled by law?
 * 14) What impact on the family (or the workplace) have changes in gender roles had?
 * 15) Have the large salaries of professional athletes had a negative impact on the athletes or the sports?
 * 16) How should colleges manage their athletic programs in relation to their academic goals?
 * 17) Do certain children's toys create social or emotional or other problems?
 * 18) Should public servants (like school teachers, hospital workers, trash collectors) have the right to strike?
 * 19) Should imports of foreign cars or other foreign products be limited or restricted by law?
 * 20) Should academic freedom for teachers and students be limited by law?
 * 21) Does society have an obligation to protect privacy as a basic individual right?
 * 22) Should sex and violence on television or in the movies be restricted?
 * 23) To what extent does the private life and private morality of a public figure affect his or her ability to serve the public interest?
 * 24) Should divorce laws be changed in ways that will be more equitable or just for all the parties?
 * 25) What restrictions should be placed on polygraph testing (or drug testing or personality testing such as Meyers-Brigg Type Indicator) either for the criminal justice system or for the workplace?
 * 26) What place should "creationism" have in the public education system?
 * 27) Should controversial speakers (on whatever subject) be allowed on college campuses?
 * 28) What types of regulations of smoking in public places should the legal system impose?
 * 29) Do "beauty" contests (Mr. America, Miss America, etc.) serve any purpose in society?
 * 30) Should "victimless crimes" such as prostitution and other sexual activity between consenting adults be free from governmental interference?
 * 31) Are American Indians being treated fairly in the 1990s?
 * 32) What prevention techniques and/or penalties should be applied to child molestation and child abuse?
 * 33) Does the American system of justice need reform to ensure that criminals are properly punished?
 * 34) To what extent should individuals have the protection of the law and the assistance of the medical establishment in terminating their own lives?
 * 35) What should be done to protect the rights of minorities (of all kinds) in America in the 1990s?
 * 36) What techniques should the public schools use to strengthen literacy at all grade levels?
 * 37) Should children be required to attend school past the age of sixteen?
 * 38) Should a rating system be required for song lyrics?
 * 39) To what extent should advertising aimed at children be regulated by law?
 * 40) Should the courts require that contracts and other legal documents be written in nontechnical language so that clients can understand the documents?
 * 41) Should English be declared the official language of the United States?
 * 42) To what extent should bilingual education be offered in public schools?
 * 43) What role should the federal government take in dealing with the problem of AIDS, homelessness, or other widespread social, medical, and economical problems (pick only one problem for a focus)?
 * 44) Should surrogate motherhood be either banned or regulated be law?
 * 45) Should adoption records be open rather than sealed?
 * 46) Should unapproved drugs be made available as a last resort to patients with conditions for which conventional treatments are known to be ineffective?
 * 47) Should tobacco companies be held responsible for smoking-related illnesses and deaths?
 * 48) Should bartenders be held responsible for the behavior of their patrons?
 * 49) Is rehabilitation of felony offenders possible? Desirable?
 * 50) Should the federal government provide health care for all citizens who cannot afford their own?
 * 51) Should juvenile offenders be tried and punished as adults?

More: From []
 * 1) Should students be allowed to have cell phones in elementary and high schools?
 * 2) Should students have to wear uniforms?
 * 3) Should college athletes be paid for playing?
 * 4) Should the elderly receive free bus rides?
 * 5) Should state colleges be free to attend?
 * 6) Should all American citizens have to complete a year of community service?
 * 7) Should students be required to take Spanish classes?
 * 8) Should marijuana be legal for medicinal purposes?
 * 9) Should the voting age be lowered to thirteen?
 * 10) Should the driving age be raised to twenty-one?
 * 11) Should students be paid for having good grades?
 * 12) Should illegal immigrants be allowed to get drivers licenses?
 * 13) Should not wearing a seat-belt be illegal?
 * 14) Should students’ textbooks be replaced by notebook computers?
 * 15) Should students have to pass a basic skills test to graduate high school?
 * 16) Should schools raise money by selling candy and sugary soft drinks to students?
 * 17) Should schools serve french-fries and fried potato products to students at lunch?
 * 18) Should students’ grades in gym affect their grade point averages?
 * 19) Should girls be allowed to play on boys sports teams?
 * 20) Should teens be able to buy violent video games?
 * 21) Should boys and girls be in separate classes?
 * 22) Should teenage girls be allowed to get birth control without the permission of their parents?
 * 23) Should our country have a universal health care program?
 * 24) Should immigration laws be reformed?
 * 25) Should the federal government recognize civil unions?
 * 26) Should people who download music and movies illegally be punished?
 * 27) Should school athletes have to be on the honor roll to play in games?
 * 28) Should music with curse words be allowed at school dances?
 * 29) Should public schools begin the day with a silent prayer time?
 * 30) Should students be able to listen to MP3 players on headphones during study hall?
 * 31) Should schools offer fast food options like McDonald’s or Taco Bell?
 * 32) Should smoking be allowed at parks and other outdoor public venues?
 * 33) Should cities offer free public Wi-Fi?
 * 34) Should the government place a tax on junk food and fatty snacks?
 * 35) Should the 2nd amendment give citizens the right to own assault weaponry?
 * 36) Should people traveling in airplanes have to undergo intensive security screenings?
 * 37) Should restaurants be allowed to sell genetically modified chickens under the name “chicken”?
 * 38) Should teachers have to pass a basic skills test every ten years to renew their certification?
 * 39) Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals like chimpanzees or tigers?
 * 40) Should people be allowed to keep pit-bull dogs?
 * 41) Should the city offer a bike sharing program?
 * 42) Should there be an ordinance citing people who fail to recycle $50?
 * 43) Should there be an ordinance citing people who play music too loudly $50?
 * 44) Should prostitution be legalized and regulated by the government?
 * 45) Should celebrities who break the law face stricter penalties?
 * 46) Should the government increase spending on the space program?
 * 47) Should larger passengers have to pay for two plane or movie theater tickets?
 * 48) Should children have to use booster seats in cars?
 * 49) Should people have to get a license to become parents?
 * 50) Should there be tougher federal restrictions for content on the internet?
 * 51) Should people be allowed to curse on daytime television?
 * 52) Should owners be legally accountable for clearing snow from sidewalks on their property?
 * 53) Should sexual education be taught in public schools?
 * 54) Should students be able to get free condoms at school?
 * 55) Should students who commit cyberbullying be suspended from school?
 * 56) Should corporations be allowed to advertise in schools?
 * 57) Should students be allowed to eat during class?
 * 58) Should more be done to protect and preserve endangered animals?
 * 59) Is it appropriate for students and teachers to be friends on Facebook?
 * 60) Should students have open campus lunch periods?
 * 61) Should abortions be legal?
 * 62) Should abortions be legal in cases of rape and incest?
 * 63) Should the death penalty be used to punish violent criminals?
 * 64) Should students learn about world religions in public schools?
 * 65) Should schools start later in the morning?
 * 66) Should the USA end overseas military operations?
 * 67) Should politicians be allowed to accept campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists?
 * 68) Should people with terminal illnesses have the right to doctor assisted suicides?
 * 69) Should Puerto Rico become a state?
 * 70) Should stem cell researchers be able to use stem cells from aborted babies to cure diseases?
 * 71) Should school athletes have to take drug tests?
 * 72) Should professional athletes have to take drug tests?
 * 73) Should America convert to the metric system?
 * 74) Should high school students have to complete community service hours to graduate?
 * 75) Should teens over 13 years be allowed into R rated movies?
 * 76) Should state tests be given in other languages for ESL students?
 * 77) Should scientists be allowed to test products intended for human use on animals?
 * 78) Should unhealthy fast food products be sold with a warning label?
 * 79) Should there be a tariff or tax on products manufactured outside of the country?
 * 80) Should students or teachers receive money for scoring well on standardized tests?
 * 81) Should everyone under the age of 17 have a 9:00 PM curfew?
 * 82) Should schools with low scores on standardized tests be closed?
 * 83) Should minors be allowed to drink alcoholic beverages in their homes with their parents’ consent?
 * 84) Should students be allowed to drop out before they turn 18 years old?
 * 85) Should alcohol manufacturers be allowed to advertise on television?
 * 86) Should students as young as fourteen be allowed to hold jobs?
 * 87) Should American families have a two child max rule to limit population growth?
 * 88) Should children younger than thirteen be allowed to watch MTV or music videos?
 * 89) Should people who are caught driving drunk lose their licenses for a year?
 * 90) Should students who fail their classes be retained and have to repeat the grade?
 * 91) Should large businesses and corporations be required to employee a number of minorities proportionate to the population?
 * 92) Should female construction workers earn the same wages as males?
 * 93) Should children in temporary living situations with a 3.0 GPA earn free college tuition?
 * 94) Should gambling and sports betting be illegal or should the government regulate it?
 * 95) Should children who commit violent crimes be tried as adults?
 * 96) Should the government be allowed to detain suspected terrorists without trial?
 * 97) Should the government censor internet content deemed inappropriate?
 * 98) Should teachers have to wear uniforms or have a dress code?
 * 99) Should teachers be allowed to have cell phones in the classroom?
 * 100) Should the state execute dogs that have bitten someone?
 * 101) Should talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device while driving be illegal?