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Controversial Essay Topics

by Loraine Walters
Created: 17.07.2019
Updated: 06.04.2020
List of Controversial Essay Topics

Writing a controversial essay can be hideously difficult. When presenting opposite views, you have to do justice to each viewpoint and provide strong proofs. The difficulty of writing this type of essay starts with choosing an appropriate topic. In this page, you will find some controversial essay topics that will help you come up with some great ideas.

You have to choose a topic that has a controversy surrounding it. When students are assigned controversial essays, they should be careful about choosing a subject matter because the success of a paper greatly depends on it. You need to use good sources of information before you make an attempt to write the paper.

Tips for choosing a topic

Choose a subject you find interesting. If you have some knowledge on the theme, you will find it easy to express your opinion clearly. Too many pure facts should not be used in this type of paper, because it is not easy to debate statements.

If you are a college student, you should start writing your assignment after doing some research. Make sure that the theme is not too broad or too narrow. You will find it easy to conduct research if the theme is specific. Spend some time doing some research.

You will find many controversial essays online. Read some of the best ones for some ideas. If you need help, do not hesitate to get help from your teachers and friends.

List of Controversial Essay Topics

  1. A woman’s place being in the home
  2. Abandoning the requirement for a warrant for search ad seizures
  3. Abolishing the Electoral College
  4. Abolishment of the jury
  5. Abortion: Pro-life vs. pro-choice
  6. Abusing the right to sue
  7. Adoptive parents must legally allow biological parents to remain in contact with children
  8. All athletes receive mandatory drug tests
  9. America should keeps its nose out of other nation’s problems
  10. America’s war on obesity
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  12. Are animal testing and animal experimentation ethical?
  13. Are guns dangerous or are the people using them dangerous?
  14. Are school uniforms necessary?
  15. Are smartphones harmful?
  16. At what age should parents let their teens start dating?
  17. At what age should teens be allowed to vote?
  18. Banning animal testing and experimentation
  19. Biological warfare
  20. Birth control regulation and availability
  21. Black Lives Matter vs. Blue Live Matter
  22. Botched executions and America’s death penalty
  23. Boycotting products made by killing or abusing animals
  24. Breastfeeding in public
  25. Capital Punishment and Death Penalty: Barbaric or necessary?
  26. Care for the mentally disabled
  27. Causes and effects of World War I
  28. Causes and effects of World War II
  29. Censorship: We have a right to know
  30. Cloning
  31. College available to all
  32. Common Core: Is it helping or hurting?
  33. Convicted felons should not be allowed to vote
  34. Corruption in Journalism
  35. Corruption on the police force
  36. Creation vs. Evolution
  37. Detention facility tactics used
  38. Developing alternate forms of energy
  39. Diplomacy or force: how should we deal with North Korea?
  40. Do all citizens have a right to affordable health care?
  41. Do violent video games cause video game addictions?
  42. Does milk benefit the body, or not?
  43. Double standard between men and women in the working community
  44. Driving age for teens
  45. Drone warfare
  46. Drug testing for welfare applicants
  47. Electronic surveillance and the right to privacy
  48. Electronic voting: security and privacy concerns
  49. Eliminating “value size” options at fast food restaurants
  50. Energy conservation should become a lifestyle
  51. Environment in jails contributing to future crimes committed
  52. Ethics around eugenics, the study of human genetics
  53. Ethics in medicine
  54. Every person’s life should be protected
  55. Feminism and women’s rights
  56. Fetal abuse during pregnancy
  57. Financial protection for farmers against things like draught, and pests
  58. Freedom of speech on the internet
  59. Fuel efficiency of vehicles
  60. Gambling
  61. Gay couples raising children
  62. Gay Marriage
  63. Gay marriage should be allowed for same-sex couples
  64. Genocide
  65. Getting and online education
  66. Global climate change
  67. Global Warming: Is it real or is it propaganda?
  68. Going Green
  69. Government bailouts of banks and financial institutions
  70. Gun Control vs. Second Amendment rights
  71. Harsher punishment for those found guilty of sexual harassment
  72. Hate crimes
  73. High taxation rates
  74. History of legalized abortion
  75. Holding charities accountable for donation allotment
  76. Homeschooling and its effect on children
  77. Homework for students
  78. Homosexuality and bisexuality
  79. Homosexuals in the military
  80. How do we bring lasting peace to the Middle East?
  81. How do we deal with the problem of teens and eating disorders?
  82. How teens are impacted by the hookup culture
  83. How the use of pesticides harms our environment
  84. How to stop school bullying and cyberbullying
  85. Illegal Immigration: Restrictions and laws
  86. Immigration: Doing it the legal way is hard
  87. Implanted GPS systems threatening privacy
  88. Improve the standards in nursing homes
  89. Insanity plea: Just an excuse?
  90. Is Donald Trump good or bad for America and the world?
  91. Is golf really a sport?
  92. Is Islam really a religion of peace?
  93. Is legalized prostitution good for society?
  94. Is multiculturalism good for our society?
  95. Is sexual orientation determined at birth?
  96. Is teaching religion to students in public schools beneficial for society?
  97. Is the Bible historically correct?
  98. Is the Holy Spirit still present in Christian churches?
  99. Labor Unions
  100. Law-related education should be reformed
  101. Legalizing euthanasia for patients with terminal illnesses
  102. Legalizing same-sex marriages
  103. LGBTQ Rights
  104. Low morality standards in America
  105. Lowering the legal drinking age
  106. Mandatory spaying and neutering of pets
  107. Mass school shootings and the media
  108. Meaning of life
  109. Meat industry using antibiotics
  110. Men sharing birth control burden
  111. Midwifery is a lost art
  112. National Deficit
  113. Negative political campaigning should be banned
  114. Nuclear arms control
  115. Open adoption records
  116. Out-of-school suspension in schools
  117. Overemphasis on computers in schools
  118. PETA and the war on animal cruelty, specifically as grounds for going vegan
  119. Plastic surgery
  120. Political campaign finance reforms
  121. Political correctness suppresses free speech
  122. Politicians should be banned from becoming lobbyists
  123. Polygamy legalization
  124. Pornography should be banned from public libraries so teens don’t have access
  125. Prisoner’s rights
  126. Protection against medical malpractice
  127. Protection and individual nourishment of children in “the system”
  128. Public access to personal health records
  129. Public surveillance technology
  130. Putting restrictions on weekly garbage output
  131. Racial Profiling: Is there a place for it?
  132. Racism: Playing the victim
  133. Reasons to appreciate smog
  134. Reasons to give teenagers credit cards
  135. Recycling
  136. Refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in some American schools
  137. Registering to be an organ donor
  138. Religious exemptions for mandatory school vaccinations
  139. Religious opposition to divorce
  140. Removing children from abusive homes to be put in “the system”
  141. Renewable and Alternative Energy
  142. Restrictions on 1st Amendment Rights (Freedom of Speech)
  143. Risks of Wi-Fi and cellular signals to our health
  144. Salaries of professional athletes vs. salaries of military men and women
  145. Schooling year-round
  146. Schools not teaching enough “life skills” classes
  147. Seat belt and motorcycle helmet laws
  148. Sex offender notification
  149. Sex on TV
  150. Sexual education and at what age is it appropriate?
  151. Sexual orientation
  152. Shall-issue laws for concealed carry permits make states safer
  153. Should advertising alcohol and cigarettes be banned?
  154. Should bilingual education be mandatory?
  155. Should capital punishment be outlawed?
  156. Should churches be allowed to keep their tax-exempt status?
  157. Should evolution or creationism be taught in public high schools?
  158. Should religious holidays be celebrated in public schools (e.g., Christmas, Easter)
  159. Should school districts switch to year-round schooling?
  160. Should Social Security be privatized?
  161. Should the Electoral College be replaced by the popular vote?
  162. Should the federal government implement a school voucher program?
  163. Should the president govern the nation by a set code of ethics?
  164. Should the West continue to accept refugees from Syria?
  165. Should the words “under God” be kept in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance?
  166. Should transgender individuals be allowed in the military?
  167. Slacktivism: actions performed online in support of political or social causes
  168. Smokers with lung cancer collecting damages
  169. Social networking and online privacy
  170. Stem cell research
  171. Stricter penalties for those found guilty of animal cruelty
  172. Stronger child pornography laws
  173. Student loan debt
  174. Supreme Court justices should not receive lifetime appointments
  175. Surveillance in schools
  176. Tattoos and other body art
  177. Technology in schools: tablets vs. textbooks
  178. Teen suicide: who is at fault?
  179. Teens should not be allowed to gamble
  180. The Arts: should students go for something more practical
  181. The benefits of First Nations casinos
  182. The benefits of medical marijuana
  183. The benefits of texting while driving
  184. The civil liberty of every individual should be protected
  185. The drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18
  186. The ethics of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide
  187. The existence of aliens
  188. The existence of ghosts
  189. The federal government is far too large and intrusive
  190. The federal minimum wage should be raised to provide everyone a livable wage
  191. The government should put an end to income inequality
  192. The impact of mandatory minimum penalties in federal sentencing
  193. The impact of pornography on a marriage
  194. The legalization of marijuana
  195. The minimum wage and its impact on employment
  196. The morality of hunting
  197. The negative health effects of consuming Genetically Engineered products
  198. The overuse of mudslinging in political races
  199. The paranormal world
  200. The presence of adult content in shows and movies made for children
  201. The Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision should be overturned
  202. The Scientific method as an ongling process
  203. The U.S. should build a border wall to stop illegal immigration
  204. The U.S. should go back on the gold standard
  205. The U.S. should no longer play world policeman
  206. The U.S. should not continue its practice of drone strikes abroad
  207. Tobacco regulation
  208. Tougher laws against discrimination
  209. Transgender individuals and which bathroom should they use
  210. Truth and falsehood
  211. TSA overregulation in airports
  212. U.S. intervention in Iraq
  213. UFOs
  214. Unmarried couples living together
  215. Using spanking for discipline
  216. Using torture as an interrogation tactic
  217. Vaccinations: Do they work or are they hurting more than helping?
  218. Vaccinations: Mandatory for public school entrance
  219. Value of pre-schools
  220. Voter ID laws discriminate against minorities
  221. War on homelessness
  222. We should have gun control that outlaws firearms with high-capacity magazines.
  223. What causes teen anxiety, depression, and mental illness
  224. What is necessary to win the war on terrorism?
  225. What is the real cost of war?
  226. What should we do to keep drugs out of the hands of teens?
  227. Which locker rooms should LGBTQ athletes use?
  228. Why Amazon must be stopped
  229. Why cats are better companions than dogs
  230. Why Common Core should be repealed
  231. Why it is important to keep Iran from going nuclear
  232. Why prescription drug advertising should be limited
  233. Why recycling programs should be mandatory
  234. Why rock and roll is the best kind of music
  235. Why smoking is actually good for you
  236. Why stupid cat videos are ruining the internet
  237. Why the Kardashians are more influential than the president
  238. Why the obesity epidemic should be seen as a disease
  239. Why the U.S. needs to implement tax reform
  240. Why the U.S. should increase, or decrease foreign aid
  241. Why the U.S.-Iraq war was wrong
  242. Why the world would be better off without organized religion
  243. Why Walmart needs to implement a dress code
  244. Why we need to conserve our limited water resources
  245. Why we should mandate the use of alternative energy to stop global warming and global climate change
  246. Why women have less wealth and how to fix it
  247. Will world peace ever be obtainable
  248. Zero tolerance gun laws in schools
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One Comment

  1. Zachariah

    Wonderful Controversial ideas! Although I am now retired from teaching English (and reading) classes in college, I teach part-time from time to time. Finding good topics that work well for college freshmen is not easy! Your hubs are easy to understand, practical and very useful. Thank you!