Top 100 argumentative essay topics

Argumentative writing is one of the four primary writing styles teachers and professors expect you to master throughout your formal education career. It’s one of the most common assignments in any class, as it tests your understanding of the topic, research skills, and ability to formulate and support a strong, controversial thesis statement.

Unfortunately, despite the instructors’ best efforts, most students still struggle with this task from start to finish. To help you deal with it quickly and painlessly, we created a step-by-step argumentative essay writing guide, as well as a collection of free samples across dozens of classes and topics. Finally, we crafted this list of a hundred argumentative essay topics to help you accelerate the first steps of the writing process.

And if by the end of this post, you decide that working on the assignment is too much trouble, you can always buy argumentative essay online from SpeedyPaper and know our experts always have your back.

100 professionally crafted topics for argumentative essay

The problem of how to choose an essay topic for an argumentative essay comes down to two critical factors.

First, you need to narrow down your options. Consider your class, syllabus, and recommended reading, and find a topic that fits them all while also being fresh, exciting, and yet researchable enough to provide you with at least a handful of solid sources to cite.

Second, you need to formulate your title properly to fit the argumentative writing format. For example, questions or statements of fact are not good for argumentative pieces. Instead, your title should mirror the thesis statement and highlight your view of a controversial matter. After all, as the name suggests, argumentative writing requires you to argue your point, and that’s impossible if the issue you choose doesn’t offer room for alternative opinions or if you don’t formulate your take on the problem clearly. Therefore, the title should raise questions, not be a question.

 

Before making the final decision about the topic, attend your professors' office hours and present them with your primary choice. Have a couple of extra options just in case. Once you receive their approval, you can start researching, outlining, and writing. Touching base with your instructors can save you a lot of time and trouble, so don’t skip this step.

Below, you’ll find an argumentative essay topic list with a hundred ideas. You can skim the whole thing or jump to the category that fits your assignment best. Feel free to use any of the ideas as-is, alter and adjust them to your needs, or combine several into one massive assignment. And if none fit the bill, contact our team for more helpful suggestions and inspiration boosts.

By the way, it’s not just argumentative writing SpeedyPaper is here to help with. For instance, we offer an extensive list of persuasive essay topics if you need to add more empathetic support to your argument. Check out our recent blog posts for more useful resources and writing tricks our experts happily share.

General topics for argumentative speech

1. Giving up personal transport is good for communities and the environment
2. College education should last two years instead of four
3. Learning a foreign language is impossible without full immersion into the country of its origin
4. Video gaming should become an Olympic sport
5. The pandemic killed movie-going, live music shows, and theater experiences
6. Social distancing is as bad for physical health as it is for mental health
7. Religious beliefs should have no influence on policies affecting all citizens
8. Bank holidays harm the economy more than they drive sales
9. The pandemic is the primary driver of the US housing crisis
10. Monogamy should not be the only socially acceptable relationship model

Argumentative essay topics about politics

1. The minimum age of voting should be increased to at least 21
2. The republican policies and initiatives are dated and discriminatory
3. The democratic policies and initiatives are harmful and serve the outspoken minority
4. The American political system requires a full overhaul to address modern challenges
5. Political debate should be mandatory for Presidential and other candidates
6. Politicians should be held accountable for the broken election promises
7. Modern technology should be used to enable direct democracy
8. Prominent political figures should prove their mental and physical fitness
9. Populist slogans always win elections but never come true
10. Capitalism has reached its peak and should be replaced with socialism

Argumentative essay topics for middle schoolers

1. English should be the primary language in all countries
2. Schools should prohibit homework and extend in-class hours instead
3. Handwriting is an obsolete skill unnecessary in the 21st century
4. Taking care of a pet promotes compassion and responsibility in teenagers
5. Sex education classes can prevent most teenage pregnancies
6. Teachers should use social media in their classrooms and assignments
7. The transfer from middle to high school is a rite of passage
8. Schools should not grade homework assignments to preserve students’ mental health
9. Videogames are the best teaching medium for teenagers
10. More lessons should be held outside, like gym classes

Argumentative essay topics for high school students

1. Artificial intelligence will slowly undermine and destroy humanity
2. Advertising campaigns aimed at children should be prohibited
3. High school students should not be allowed to drive before they get to vote
4. Nuclear energy is safer for the environment than renewable energy sources
5. Academic merit should be the only factor deciding college admissions
6. Public surveyance violates the right to privacy protection
7. The government should stop paying immigrants from taxpayer money
8. Electric vehicles do more harm than good to the environment
9. Gun control laws must be changed to prevent further mass shootings at schools
10. Gender transitions should be prohibited until the age of 25

Argumentative essay topics for college students

1. Analyzing and tampering with the embryo’s genetic code is unethical
2. Youth unemployment is a major driver of social unrest
3. Uncontrolled immigration is the primary cause of the crime rate increase
4. Social activism is not a vocation but a cry for attention
5. The legal drinking age should be increased to 25
6. Female transgender athletes should compete in a category of their own
7. The drive for diversity in the workplace is reducing business revenue
8. International travel should be mandatory for all college students
9. Isolationist US policies bring more international unrest in the long-term
10. The pandemic changed entertainment industry business models forever

 

Funny argumentative essay topics

1. Jelly-filled donuts are the breakfast of champions
2. Selective hearing and memory are critical to successful relationships
3. Procrastination is healthy for the student’s mind and body
4. Invisibility is the worst superpower for a hero to have
5. Eating fast food every day is a sure way to live to old age
6. Designer clothes are the biggest scam
7. We should make friends with artificial intelligence before it destroys us
8. There are always at least two reasons for the awkward silences
9. Socks should come in threes to save us the trouble of never having a matching pair
10. Delicious meals are not a high enough price for surviving holiday family gatherings

Argumentative essay topics about history

1. Colonization of the Americas was the primary driver of technological progress
2. Personal vehicle development is the reason behind poor urban planning across the US
3. The US should have joined World War II sooner to prevent Pearl Harbor
4. International organizations like the UN have failed in their historical mission
5. Thanksgiving should be a day of mourning, not celebration
6. John F. Kennedy was the best US President of the 20th century
7. WWII would have lasted twice as long without the development of the atomic bomb
8. Civil War laid the foundation of the modern social and political conflict in the US
9. World War II helped the US come out of the Great Depression
10. The unpopularity of the Vietnam War unleashed minority movements in the US

 

Argument topics on science and technology

1. Social media has a detrimental impact on the mental health of teenagers
2. Children should not get access to the Internet until they achieve maturity
3. Wikipedia ruined academic research integrity and credibility
4. Frivolous scientific studies are a waste of money
5. Artificial intelligence will ruin the software engineering job market
6. Wearable gadgets and smartphones are the primary source of electronics pollution
7. Self-driving cars should not be allowed on the streets with regular vehicles
8. SpaceX satellites ruined astronomical research forever
9. Social media algorithms are the ultimate means of censorship
10. E-readers and tablets can never replace paper books

Health argumentative essay topics

1. Marijuana legalization can combat the opioid epidemic in the US
2. All medicines should only be available with a prescription
3. Advanced healthcare increases insurance costs by improving life expectancy
4. Nurses can compensate for the lack of doctors in healthcare institutions
5. Pornography addiction affects mental and physical health
6. Loneliness can lead to physical and psychological health issues
7. A sedentary lifestyle is the biggest cause of the obesity epidemic in the US
8. Nutrition education classes can reduce the risk of obesity in teenagers
9. Preventative healthcare is the only way to reduce the healthcare institutions' workload
10. The high cost of tuition is the primary factor leading to medical professional shortages

Argument topics on music

1. Classical music has more cultural value than modern pop music
2. Live shows can positively affect the economy on a nationwide scale
3. The live show tickets are overpriced and not worth the expense
4. Mandatory music classes should be present in high school and college curriculums
5. Electronic music can replace traditional chamber and brass musical instruments
6. Taste in music can be developed and influenced in early childhood
7. Playing musical instruments should be mandatory for all children
8. Voice training classes are vital for public speakers
9. Karaoke clubs can replace live musical performances
10. Owning a digital recording of music is not the same as having a vinyl collection

Check more great music topics here!

Final thoughts

Argumentative writing is one of the most challenging and rewarding tasks you will encounter in school, and mastering it is invaluable in developing your communication soft skills. Hopefully, our list of argumentative topics for different classes and academic levels sparks inspiration and lets your imagination run wild. As long as you pick an issue that aligns with your class syllabus and use reliable sources to support your arguments, you should have an A-worthy paper on your hands.

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