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
Hannah
/ September 10, 2013Wow! It is a very awesome list. I chose the endangered species topic. Thank you so much!
melinalmfao
/ September 3, 2013So many things to choose from great job Mr. Morton I chose the illegal seatbelt thing. 🙂
Bob
/ September 2, 2013This didn’t really help but nice list it must of been hard to think of all these ideas:)
yusra
/ August 21, 2013thanks to E Reading worksheets
yusra
/ August 21, 2013this website is just awesome. i got 10/10 in my English communication skills.
Aarushi
/ August 7, 2013Thanx !!! They are really nice ones. I got many ideas for my school.
Wonderful!!!!!
benjamin
/ July 1, 2013Thank you for the help. I was interested in covering ” should stem cell researchers be able to use stem cells from aborted babies to cure diseases? ” but i never heard of stem research so this will be a great learning experience.
Mr. Morton
/ September 28, 2013I think that you will find it interesting.
Nazime Rodriguez
/ June 18, 2013This is perfect. I’ll take can cities offer free wifi.
sammymahony
/ May 26, 2013Thanks soooo much I have to do a persuasive speech in a week this helped me finally pick a topic.
prince
/ April 29, 2013thanks this really helped
Daidra
/ April 26, 2013Thanks for the ideas. I am making my son use three of these to make up for assignments he missed at school or didn’t turn in. I hope he has a beginning, middle, and end to his papers!
Mr. Morton
/ May 1, 2013You seem like a dedicated parent. Email me if you have any questions. Best wishes!
miguel nieves
/ April 24, 2013i think this website is just great i learned alot of stuff from this website my friends and i have to do a report and i used some of these ideas hope you dont mind! 🙂
Mr. Morton
/ May 1, 2013That’s exactly why I made it. Best wishes!
Emma Smith
/ April 23, 2013Thank you so much I have so many to choose from,I am undecided.
cutie
/ April 23, 2013thanks for the topics it really helped
Sarah
/ April 23, 2013Thank you so much for sharing this, it helped a lot! I picked the one about guns
Alana Liu
/ April 18, 2013Another great topic is should Selective Test be abolished??
Nazime Rodriguez
/ June 18, 2013Thank you someone i can agree wit:P
PARASAIL (* -*)
/ April 18, 2013WOW i had a hard time finding one topic, now i have one but cant think of reasons to support the topic….. do you have reasons that support the topic? Thanks anyways! 🙂 🙂
Mr. Morton
/ May 1, 2013Well, I can’t very well write the essay for you, but I can tell you that time and money control all things in our society and are universal concerns that can be applied to both sides of any argument. No matter is being proposed or disputed, it’s going to use up somebody’s time and money.
cornelio
/ April 16, 2013These topics are great.
Chantel
/ April 16, 2013I used this site for my grade 8 speech, thanks.
pepe
/ April 10, 2013this is awsome ^-^
abigail
/ April 8, 2013WOW! thanks so much for these, this is perfect for my persuasive essay. i will sure get a good grade now 😛
Nisa
/ April 8, 2013This is so awesome. I appreciate it infinitely, thank you so much.
tony
/ April 5, 2013i laughed so hard when i read these but awsome topics;P
Peggy
/ March 29, 2013Great job Mr. Morton!
You have supplied a great resource to students. If they can’t find a topic on your list (which would be surprising given all your awesome ideas) then surely it will spark an idea in their minds for their own topic.
Thank you for your time and care in creating this.
Mr. Morton
/ May 1, 2013You are most welcome. Best wishes and thank you for visiting!
Kendra
/ March 25, 2013All these people arguing their definitely interesting opinions is crazy!!!!!!! I agree with Mr. Morton most of the time though. He has good quotes. 😀
Kendra
/ March 25, 2013These are all really good topics but some I would feel awkward to write about, like, say, the birth control or abortion one. But they’re all good questions not just to write about but also to ponder yourself about, like, should unhealthy fast food products be sold with a warning label? They should, and almost or all these ideas would be good for my debate team. Thanks to whoever put these on this website!!!! 😉 🙂
Zap
/ March 24, 2013This was very effective opener in my persuasive writing unit. thanks
Matthew
/ March 22, 2013Thanks you
I am going to use one of these topics for my speech
nino
/ March 21, 2013I really liked most of these topics are wow thank you very much!!!… Love you all
No Name
/ March 19, 2013Thanks so much great topics i was having trouble thinking of a topic, now im having trouble choosing!
GIRL-PAISA
/ March 15, 2013I LIKE MY TOPIC THANKS FOR THE HELP 😀
Sereana
/ March 12, 2013Good topics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Liz
/ February 27, 2013Thanks for the list! I have a 12th grade student who is having a hard time choosing a topic for her persuasive essay. I know she will find something here that piques her interest.
Mr. Morton
/ March 3, 2013I’m happy to hear it.
Ty's
/ February 27, 2013Good job to the people.
Jen D.
/ February 27, 2013I love this site. I use it all the time. I also told my colleagues about it, and they love it too! Thank you for taking the time to create a site with so many free resources!
Leaf
/ February 25, 2013I think my teacher used some of these in class! XD I recognize some of them. Great list!
Hannah
/ February 25, 2013Thanks for the Information! These are some great ideas for my essay. I wanted somthing differant in all areas and this really helped, i am going to write an original essay that even my teacher did not think of. 🙂
Ryan Treen
/ February 22, 2013These ideas helped me a lot thank you. I will tell my friends about these website when they need to do this writing peice.
AnahiRoble
/ February 20, 2013THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!! YOU GUYS ROCK
Rodger
/ February 20, 2013GREAT WEBSITE!!!!!!!! i Picked the Birth Control one.
el papi
/ February 11, 2013they are just topics AND I THINK they are awesome!
anonymous
/ February 17, 2013Thank you so much for everything!
Gladys Maza
/ February 5, 2013Thanks this is great!
Gladys Maza
/ February 5, 2013Well I really liked this! Thank you soo much!
anonymous
/ January 31, 2013Personally I think that most of these topics are great and about the religion the way I look at it is I place myself in there shoes if someone was talking bad about my religion I don’t know what I’d do. We all have our own things to believe don’t judge someone else because of what they believe
Ryan Carlson
/ January 24, 2013Question #40 about Pit Bulls should say “Should humans be smart enough not to beat, fight, kill, or bully Pit Bulls into becoming monsters?”
tony
/ April 5, 2013dude i totaly agree
Dylan
/ September 16, 2013Ryan, well put and i totally agree with you on this. It doesnt matter if people own them, but what does matter is, is the way the Pitt Bull breed is treated.
conner
/ January 24, 2013these topics are amazing. these are perfect for my Persuasive Essay. thank you so much
Kara
/ January 18, 2013Thanks for all the ideas 😉
no name please
/ January 9, 2013thanks for the help
no name please
/ January 9, 2013I badly need a topic for my speech so thank you soooo much! I finally have a good topic that won’t bore my class to sleep. Thanks a lot!
randomguy
/ January 7, 2013The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used.
Mr. Morton
/ February 3, 2013Ha. Are you sure that they aren’t using mules now?