1. Should there be a salary cap in professional sports?
2. Does rap music demean women?
3. Do Americans have a weight problem?
4. Should prayer be allowed in school?
8th Grade
Persuasive
Essay Topics
5. Should the government censor lyrics in songs that are violent or explicit,
for example "Gangsta" rap?
6. Should HIV workers have to tell their employers of their status?
7. Should parents be allowed to educate their children at home?
8. Should the government sensor materials on the World Wide Web?
9. Should there be an enforced mandatory retirement age?
10. Should the voting age be changed to 16?
11. Should drivers be prohibited from using their cell phones?
12. Is it worth hosting the Olympic Games?
13. Do adopted children have the right to know their biological parents?
14. Should parents be morally and legally responsible for the actions/
needs of their children?
15. Should physical education in schools be mandatory?
16. Should everyone be forced to stay in school till they're 18?
17. Should there be further restrictions on the advertising, selling,
and smoking of tobacco? Should it be banned?
18. Do schools have the right to search student's backpacks/Lockers?
19. Should there be higher taxes on fatty foods? Cigarettes? Alcohol?
20. Can our founding fathers still be considered great men if they
owned slaves?
21. Is America ready for a female president?
22. Should a mother stay home with her small children, rather than
work outside the home?
23. Is it morally acceptable to experiment on animals to develop
products and medicines that benefit humans?
24. Should humans be allowed to use other animals as objects of
sports and entertainment?
25. Are beauty contests harmful to a females self-esteem?
26. Should foul language be banned on television?
27. Should employees have a right to see your medical records?
28. should blood sports be banned? (boxing)
29. Should the legal age for drinking be lowered?
30. Are random breath tests for drivers a good idea?
31. Should cameras be placed in courtrooms so that criminal's trials can
be televised?
32. Is the death penalty ethical?
33. Should a state recognize same-sex marriage?
34. Should young people be subjected to nighttime curfews as a way to
reduce crime?
35. Should schools provide daycare to assist teenage mothers?
36. Is it fair that auto insurance rates are more expensive for males
under the age of 21 than for females?
37. Should parents be able to select the gender of their offspring?
38. Should voting be mandatory?
39. Should schools teach creationism along with the theory of evolution?
40. Is physical force (example: spanking) a justifiable method of
punishing children?
41. Should cosmetic surgery be banned?
42. Should people be allowed to gamble on-line?
43. Should a minor ever be sentenced as an Adult for their crime?
44. Should states require citizens to obtain a license before becoming
parents?
45. Should countries change their official language (or currency) to be
the same worldwide?
46. Should school students face mandatory drug testing?
47. Should the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports be legalized?
48. Should unregulated distribution of copyrighted works over the
internet be allowed?
49. Should we intervene in the genetic make-up of our children?
Should genetic screening be used to produce genetically healthy or
even "designer" babies?