speech topics about history

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50+ Captivating History Topics for Speech and Presentation

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History is a treasure trove of captivating stories, forgotten legends, and monumental events that have shaped our world. Whether you’re a student preparing for a class presentation or a curious enthusiast seeking fresh perspectives, this article will ignite your imagination and transport you through time. On this page, we have compiled a list of interesting speech topics related to history that you might find useful. From ancient civilizations to modern revolutions, these topics are informative and can be explored in depth to provide an engaging and thought-provoking presentation. 

Beyond these topics, we’ll also share you with practical advice on how to research historical facts effectively. So, whether you’re preparing for a classroom presentation or simply curious about the past, let’s embark on this enlightening journey through time.

Informative History Speech Topics

• The Rise and Fall of Carthage
• Celtic Myths and Legends
• Hieroglyphs and the Rosetta Stone
• Inca and Maya Civilizations
• The Mummification Process in Ancient Egypt
• Medieval Knighthood Orders
• Theories of Pyramid Construction
• Roman Empire: Rule by Senators
• Ancient India and Ancient Greece: Historical Connection
• The Meaning and Mystery of Stonehenge
• Ancient Egypt: A Fascinating Civilization
• Ancient Greece: Contributions to Philosophy and Democracy
• Ancient Rome: From Republic to Empire
• The Cold War: Tensions and Strategies
• The Crusades: Religious Wars and Cultural Exchange
• The Enlightenment: Intellectual Revolution
• The French Revolution: Causes and Impact
• The Information Age: Technological Revolution
• Mesopotamia: Cradle of Civilization
• The Middle Ages: Feudalism and Chivalry
• The Modern Age: Industrialization and Globalization
• The Nuclear Age: Science and Security
• Prehistory: Unraveling Our Ancestral Past
• The Reformation: Religious Reform and Schisms
• The Renaissance: Art, Science, and Humanism
• Romanticism: Emotion and Imagination in Art
• The Victorian Age: Social Norms and Progress
• The Viking Age: Exploration and Raiding
• Abraham Lincoln: Leadership During the Civil War
• Albert Einstein: The Theory of Relativity
• Alexander Graham Bell: Inventor of the Telephone
• Alexander the Great: Conquests and Legacy
• Alfred Nobel: The Nobel Prizes and Dynamite
• Andy Warhol: Pop Art and Celebrity Culture
• Archimedes: Contributions to Mathematics and Physics
• Augustus: First Roman Emperor
• Ayatollah Khomeini: The Iranian Revolution
• Benjamin Franklin: Statesman, Inventor, and Author
• Caligula: Infamous Roman Emperor
• Captain James Cook: Exploration of the Pacific
• Charles de Gaulle: French Resistance Leader and President
• Claude Monet: Impressionist Painter
• Cleopatra: Last Pharaoh of Egypt
• Confucius: Ancient Chinese Philosopher
• David Livingstone: African Explorer and Missionary
• Dwight D. Eisenhower: Supreme Allied Commander in WWII
• Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen of England
• Erasmus: Renaissance Humanist and Scholar
• Florence Nightingale: Pioneer of Modern Nursing
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: New Deal and World War II
• Galileo Galilei: Astronomer and Father of Modern Science
• Major Historical Events of the USA

Tips for Researching Historical Facts for Speech and Presentation

Ask the key questions:.

• What happened? When? Where?
• Who played pivotal roles?
• Why was this period significant?
• What were the major events and facts?

Dive into Authentic Sources:

• Explore bygone books, historical archives, and reputable websites.
• Seek primary sources whenever possible—they provide firsthand accounts.

Learn from the Legends:

• Study the lives of famous historical figures. e.g.  Abraham Lincoln, Cleopatra, or Leonardo da Vinci 
• Understand their impact and the context of their time.

Feel free to choose any of these topics for your informative speech, and remember to engage your audience with captivating visuals or anecdotes.

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439 History Argumentative Essay Topics to Get an A [Writing Tips Included]

Who hasn’t been puzzled when it comes to choosing historical argument topics?

It is hard to memorize all the information given in a class. Undoubtedly, all historical issues can be developed into excellent history essay topics. The question to resolve is how to discover your case.

You can find 300+ unique world history argumentative essay topics in our article, as well as some essay writing tips. If our topics are not enough for you, use our instant and completely free research title generator .

• 🚧 History Essay Challenges
• 📜 Top 15 Topics
• ✊ Revolution Topics
• 🗺️ Regional Topics
• 🤴 Key Figures Topics
• 🏳️‍🌈 Key Movements
• 📿 Topics on Traditions
• 👁️‍ Topics on Mysteries
• 📝 Historical Topics – 2024

📢 History Persuasive Essay Topics

• 👉 Choosing a Topic
• ♟️ Writing Strategies

🚧 History Essay Topics Main Challenges

History shapes our present. To study the rules of our modern world and society, we need to research historical argument topics. They can show us which conflicts led to a better future and which destroyed our civilization.

History assignments for high school students contain many pitfalls. The five most critical of them are listed below.

• Avoid thinking that any event was inevitable. First, we rarely dispose of a complete picture of a historical period. Second, some events are Force-Majeure and unpredictable. However, human choices matter. Focus on what could have been changed and which lessons we could learn from the alternative result.
• Listing events is pointless. It can be read in any chronicle. Instead, your purpose is to analyze them. An untrivial perspective is what makes your essay a good one.
• People often change their opinions. Historical figures also did. Try not to perceive their beliefs as a consistent and invariable set of ideas. Explore how they reached their wisdom or why they made errors.
• Not all events are relevant to your history essay question . Make a list of the significant events and personalities that refer to your topic. Cross out all that can be omitted. Then add minor events related to those that left. It is what you should write about.
• Avoid vague words. Great, prominent, positive, or negative are obscure words that make your writing limited and unilateral. Most personalities and events were multifaceted. Work in this direction.

📜 Top 15 History Argumentative Essay Topics

History is full of mystery, riddles, and conflicting points. Writing a history paper will undoubtedly be fun if you choose an exciting history essay topic. Meet our list of the most provocative history questions.

• How could The 1896 Anglo-Zanzibar last only 38 minutes?
• Did Arab people invent the Arab numerals or Hindus?
• Hitler as the man of the year in 1938, according to Time magazine.
• The average life expectancy of peasants In the Middle Ages was about 25 years.
• Why were Roman soldiers using baths as rehabilitation centers?
• What was the importance of the Battle of Stalingrad?
• The wars with the most considerable losses took place in China.
• In 400 BC, Sparta had only 25,000 inhabitants but over 500,000 slaves.
• Out of the last 3500 years, how many years were peaceful?
• How important is tea time for British people?
• In the middle of the 20th century, the whole British royal court got sick because of improperly cooked potatoes.
• Compare the number of Soviet soldiers who died in World War II and the number of American ones.
• Has any part of the Roman Empire existed 1000 years after the Fall of Rome?
• Were the Egyptian pyramids actually constructed using slaves’ labor?
• Did Leonardo Da Vinci have dyslexia?

⚔️ History Essay Topics on War

“There never was a good war or a bad peace,” — wrote Benjamin Franklin in one of his letters. Did we learn what peace is, after all? Discussion and analysis of armed conflicts that humanity has faced throughout its existence are still massive jobs researchers do. Below, you can find excellent topics on war and peace.

Detailed categorization to help you write a good essay about war!

• How did the Second World War change family traditions? It lasted for six years, and families learned how to survive without a father. What were the psychological implications for mothers, children, and returning soldiers?
• Food packages for long-term storage quickly developed during both World Wars . Explore which products changed the most. How did their modified form affect the cuisine and rations?
• WWII spurred the creation of new professions . Find out which jobs appeared during this period. How were they linked to warfare? Did they change after the termination of the war?
• Many scientific advances came to our understanding through dubious ways. The research and experiments of Nazi Germany on humans led to a breakthrough in medicine, anthropology, genetics, psychology, etc. Is it moral to use their findings for peaceful purposes?
• Soldiers spread the Spanish Flu during WWI. It killed more people than died in military actions. Did it influence the outcome of the war? Analyze how the pandemic might have unfolded if it had happened in a time of peace.

• Explain how trench warfare slowed the military actions in WWI. What were the common diseases in trenches, and how did they affect the conflict? The Germans dug trenches not to lose any more ground.
• American Women in History of World War II .
• To which extent was Hitler not responsible for the Second World War? He was obviously the one to blame for the many atrocities of the Nazis. Still, which circumstances were out of his control and led to the war?
• Japanese American Life During and after the World War II.
• Compare the economic conditions in which Britain entered WWI and WWII.
• The Treaty of Versailles in World War II History .
• What was the military potential of Russia in WWI?
• World War II People in “Hitler’s Army.”
• Is it correct to say that the results of WWI caused WWII?
• Minority Civil Rights in the US after the WWII .
• Was Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria so influential that his death caused the outbreak of WWI?
• What Was the Second World War Impact on the USSR?
• The Russian population scarcely supported the Bolsheviks. What helped them to seize power during the October Revolution? The provisional government was occupied by the war. The Red Army followed the same interests, and Vladimir Lenin led the entire group.
• Francisco Franco was the dictator of Spain from 1939 till 1975, when he died. How did the Spanish Civil War bring him to power? Why did Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy help him?
• The monarchy in Uganda was abolished in 1967. Several years later, from 1971 to 1986, the country was torn apart by the Civil War . What were the causes of this dark period, and how did it end? Is Uganda peaceful now?
• Describe the role of climate in the collision between the North and South in the US . Did long agricultural seasons make the South depend on fieldwork? Was the traditional use of slavery a way to get rich?
• The polarized opinions of the left and right political forces caused the Greek Civil War. Based on the history of this conflict and the thematic in-country clashes of other countries, analyze the eternal and unending struggle between the left and right ideologies.
• The American Civil War Outbreak and the Role of the Federal Government.
• The English Civil War (1642 – 1651) was about ruling England, Scotland, and Ireland. What were the variants, and which one do you support?
• Short- and Long-term Causes of the Civil War .
• Describe the differences between the free Northern States and the slave Southern states during the American Civil War.
• The Economics of the Civil War .
• How did the Second Civil War in Sudan entail the creation of South Sudan through the referendum of 2011 ?
• The Motives of Individual Soldiers Who Fought in the Civil War .
• Why was Pugachev’s Rebellion (1773 – 1775) in Russia defeated?
• Post-Civil War Political, Economic, Social Changes .
• Austrian Civil War: The shortest possible conflict (12-16 February 1934).
• Petersburg in the Civil War: History Issues .

Intercountry Wars

• Analyze the possible reasons for an international conflict and how they can be regulated through warfare. List the ideas that motivated people to get into a war. This essay will illustrate the debatable history of wars.
• Describe the relationship between the emergence of nuclear weapons and the Cold War. Why was America afraid of the Soviet Union and communism?
• Why was the Spanish-American War one of the cheapest conflicts in history? It lasted for only several months and did not take many lives, as other military actions did. What secured its swift completion?
• What Were the Major Diplomacy Steps of J.F. Kennedy in Cuba During the Cold War?
• Why did Canada play a peacekeeper role at the beginning of the Cold War?
• The Seven Years War and its Impact on the First British Empire .
• How did the history of the Palestinians impact the Arab-Israeli conflict ?
• Outline the reasons for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
• The Vietnam War’s Impact on the United States .
• Describe the collaboration between the American and Australian troops in the Vietnam War.
• United States Role in the Korean War: History Analysis .
• How did the Soviet Union and US intervention cause Afghanistan’s War on Terror ?

Religious Wars

• Why did the Huguenots fail in the French Religious Wars (1562 – 1598)? They could not rely on settlements that supported them. Thus, they were less autonomous than the Catholics.
• How did the Thirty Years’ War change the geopolitical image of Europe? Why was it transformed into a group of independent states with equal rights? The most important consequence of the war was the creation of the modern notion of national borders.
• Describe the relationship between the Second Great Awakening and the abolishment of slavery in the US. It also entailed several philanthropic reforms and women’s emancipation. Why did the movement inspire a new vision on slavery and encourage questioning the British monarchy control?
• Quackers: The religion of pacifism and non-violence . Did their peaceful worldview prevent their faith from popularization? Which controversy with other confessions did they face?
• How did the English Civil War (1642 – 1651) lay the modern parliamentary monarchy’s foundation in the UK?
• Islam and War: True Meaning of Jihad .
• How did the Second Great Awakening participants expect to bring America to a Golden Age through religion?
• Comparison of Jewish and Muslim Experiences .
• Which role did religion play in the American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783)?
• Christian Europeans vs. Islamic Arabs: Why did the fight for Jerusalem affect the Jews who lived in Europe?
• Judaism, Christianity, and Islam .
• Why did the Catholics fight with Protestants during the Thirty Years’ War?
• Religious Beliefs and Political Decisions .
• How did the Protestant Reformation lead to the European Wars of Religion?

✊ History Essay Topics on Revolution

Pick a revolution, any famous and well-documented one, and be sure to find a bunch of yet unresolved questions. Numerous mysteries held by revolutionary events give us a lot of topics to debate. Now, here are themes to study about the world and local revolutions.

Political Revolutions

• The European Revolutions (1848) affected almost 50 countries. Battles and executions took tens of thousands of lives. How did nationalism incentivize the political and economic struggle?
• How did the French invasion of Spain (1807) entail the Spanish-American Wars? The Spanish side aimed for political independence from America. What was their motivation?
• Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban President, was an elected president. He gradually seized power and became a dictator. Why did the US politically support him before Fidel Castro ousted and replaced him?
• The Shah’s regime brought economic shortages and inflation. Some people thought he was the puppet of the non-Muslim West (i.e., the US). How did Shah’s oil policy lead to the Iranian Revolution ?
• During the Storming of the Bastille , there were only seven political prisoners. Why did the revolutionaries attack this building and not the Versailles or some other royal building? Why was Bastille the symbol of monarchy and its abuse of power?
• Various Propaganda Tools Shaped People’s Vision of the State and Themselves during the Cultural Revolution in China .

• The Events That Led to the American Revolution .
• Describe and analyze the conflict between the Three Estates that led to the French Revolution .
• Who won in the Spanish American War of Independence and why?
• The Proclamation and the Stamp Act: Discriminatory laws that led to the American Revolution.
• Economic Factors Contributing to the Cause of the American Revolution.
• A political revolution does not change the property relations inside the country. Give examples of such events.
• Cold War Role in the Iranian Revolution .
• Haitian Revolution (1791–1804): The only successful revolt of self-liberated slaves.
• The Effects of Social Media on Egyptian Revolution of 2011 .

Social Revolutions

• Boston Tea Party (1773) was a protest of merchants against the British tax on tea. Why is it considered as the precursor of the American Revolution? How does it symbolize the birth of American patriotism?
• The French nobility was not concerned with the problems of ordinary people. They dedicated themselves to leisure and intrigues. Do you agree with this statement? How does it fit with the idea that France had authoritarianism ?
• What is the difference between a political and a socio-economic revolution? Which event takes more time and has more dramatic consequences? Give several examples of the experience in different countries.
• The Neolithic Revolution was the first social revolution in the history of humanity. Describe the shift from nomadic life to permanent settlements. How did the transformation change people’s lives and their sources of food?
• Could we consider the Enlightenment as a social revolution? Was this transformation a peaceful one? What were its causes, and what did people strive for?
• Syrian Arab Spring: Why Was it Late? Conflict Evolution and Solutions.
• How did the burning of Cinema Rex theatre trigger the Iranian Revolution?
• The American Revolution as a Social Revolution .
• How did hope and idealism fuel the French Revolution?
• The Revolution of Women in Society .
• What was achieved by the Civil War in the USA (1861-1865)?
• Child Labor During Industrial Revolution .
• Analyze the existing theories of what does and does not constitute a revolution.
• Karl Marx’s Ideas on Society Alienation and Conflict Theory.
• What were the precursors of the Age of Revolution in Europe and America?
• The Revolution of Transportation Systems .

🗺️ World History Argumentative Essay Topics

Time to examine history from a local perspective! Below you can find multiple excellent topics on regional history. The US history, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and more. Make sure to look at all of them precisely – this will require some effort.

US History Essay Topics

• American history before 1877: The New World before Christopher Columbus. Which sources of knowledge about the first settlements do historians draw from? Which civilizations existed there before the invasion of the Europeans?
• Explore the role of women in Colonial America . What rights did they have? What was their standard daily routine? Why was their work sometimes more complicated than that of their male relatives?
• How did slavery appear in British America? What were the circumstances that led to forced labor? Why was the trans-Atlantic slave trade so prosperous?
• How did the Founding Fathers treat Indian history and tribes? Were their actions legitimate? Did these deeds favor the establishment of the New World? Can such or any other “ethnic cleansing” ever be justified?

• Were Jim Craw Laws necessary for a smooth transition from slavery to democracy? Or were they a big mistake that provided freedom to African-Americans without giving them any rights?
• The Roles Played by Different Presidents on American Civil Rights Movement.
• Comment on the inflow of immigrants pursuing the American Dream after the Civil war.
• The Enslaved Blacks and Free Blacks During the American Civil War .
• How did Prohibition in the US cause the proliferation of the Italian-American Mafia?
• American Revolution: The “History” and “Memory”.
• Franklin Roosevelt led the US into the Second World War as the biggest debtor but exited it as the most significant creditor.
• In Search of the American Dream throughout the History.
• Describe the main problems the first British settlements faced in America.
• The Right to Vote in the USA Throughout the History .
• What were the psychological consequences of the Great Depression on ordinary American citizens?

Latin America History Essay Topics

• How did smallpox influence the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ? How did the disease contribute to other advantages of the Spanish forces? Why did Cortez wish to defeat the Aztecs?
• The Panama Canal made Panama the second-fastest growing economy in Latin America after Chile. It brings about $2 billion in yearly revenue. However, more than five thousand people died during its construction. Was it possible to avoid the deaths by postponing the construction?
• How the history of Peru would be different if Francisco Pizarro did not initiate the homicide of the Aztecs. Would modern Peru benefit from its pre-colonial natives? Which historical monuments would have been preserved?
• Gold or silver was never found in Uruguay. How did this fact influence the present-day prosperity and stability in the country? Why did it present almost no interest for the colonial conquest?
• In 1848, General Santa Anna sold a big part of Mexico to the United States. Why did he do so? What would Latin America look like now had he not sold the land to feed the army?
• Nationalism and Development in the Countries of Latin America .
• Why did Latin America wish to declare independence from Spain (1810)?
• Haitian Migration History, and the Role of Jamaica in This Process .
• Explore the benefits of the Chilean victory in the War of the Pacific (1879 – 1883).
• Brazil and the European Union: The Relations .
• Why did America win the Mexican-American War?
• Criminal Justice Systems of the US and Colombia .
• Describe how the borders of modern Brazil were decided back in 1494 .
• Which consequences of Gen Alfredo Stroessner’s dictatorship in Paraguay can you name?
• Mexico’s Globalization and Democratization .

European History Essay Topics

• Why did ordinary people believe in Fascist propaganda ? Analyze the psychological factors and the cultural precursors that made people susceptible to Nazism. Did the fear of being killed influence their willingness to obey the ruling party?
• Find out the difference between the perception of gods in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Did both nations truly believe in gods? Was the Pantheon a cultural phenomenon? Why did they use the same gods with different names ?
• Would Roman Empire have become so influential if it had never used slavery? Why was slavery an essential part of the economy of many countries? What changed then? Was the abolishment of slavery dictated only by humanism?
• How did the relationships between lords and their vassals transform into modern government standards? Which positive and negative features were preserved throughout the ages? Compare the ancient tradition and the present-day government using historical and contemporary figures.
• What is the difference between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment ?
• Why Capitalism Started in Europe and Dominated the World ?
• Analyze the evolution of peace-maintaining methods inside the country and around its borders throughout European history.
• Building a Communist Society in East Germany .
• What does the classical and vulgar language distinction in Ancient Rome tell us about the structure of its society?
• Austria and France: Impacts and Causes of World War I and World War II .
• Compare and contrast the role of Russia in WWI and the Napoleonic Wars .
• Trace the development of European liberalism .
• Germany at the End of the World War I .
• List the six ancient civilizations and compare the causes that led to their fall .

Asian History Essay topics

• What made the Mongol Empire the second-largest kingdom in human history? How did the empire use technology and production to ensure its prosperity? What helped Genghis Khan unite the nomadic tribes?
• The Black Death is traditionally associated with Europe since it killed one-third of its population. Still, the bubonic plague started in Asia. Explore its outburst in 1330 – 1340 and its origins (presumably, in China).
• Explore the consequences of numerous conflicts between nomads and settled people in Asia. How did this rivalry shape the history of the continent? Analyze the contribution of trading between nomads and towns.
• A crossbow was invented in Asia. It revolutionized warfare. How did the weapon make archery a more democratic art? Which benefits did crossbow offer the army? Describe the history of the arm.

• The word Aryan comes from Iran and India. It meant “a noble person.” How did it turn into the most abused words of anti-Semitism?
• The Causes and Effects of Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976).
• What are the social effects of female infanticide in China, India, South Korea, and Nepal?
• China’s New Silk Road for Trade and IGo to demoessays.commplications .
• Compare and contrast the Indian castes and Feudal Japanese classes.
• The Development of Tension Between South and North Korea.
• How did the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC) open Asia to be invaded by Alexander the Great?
• Japan’s Withdrawing From the International Whaling Commission .
• Describe the weapons of Ancient Asian civilizations as the mirror of their culture.
• How did some Asian countries (Japan, China, and Siam) escape European colonization ?
• Nationalism in East Asia, Japan and China .

Russian History Essay Topics

• Which tribes created modern Russia? Were they Slavic or Finno-Ugric? Why does this history argumentative essay topic cause debates among historians? What are the implications of either variant for the Russian national identity?
• How did the Tsardom of Moscow transform into the Russian Empire in 1721? What did Peter I do for this reformation? How did it change Russian society’s standard of living?
• Why did Boris Godunov come to power breaking the Rurik family dynasty? Before his ascension to the throne, he was a Tatar nobleman and served as an advisor to Tsar Fyodor I. Why did his rule start at the Time of Troubles (1598 – 1613)?
• Is it appropriate to call Moscow the “Third Rome” ? Sophia Palaiologina, the daughter of the last emperor of Constantinople, married Ivan III. Analyze the reasons for the statement that Moscow is the successor of the Roman Empire
• What were the causes and consequences of the existence of the four “False Dmitrys”? Explore the under-the-carpet battle that led to the killing of the dynasty’s successors. How did the four imposters entail the decay of the institution of Tsardom?
• Long-Term Strategies to Address Threats to the US’ Interest From Russia .
• Which personal traits helped Ivan the Terrible establish the Tsardom of Russia and make it a powerful state?
• Why Is There a Strong Russian Influence in Syrian Crisis?
• Debate the phenomenon of Peter the Great : Was he the result of the epoch or the random person who changed Russian history?
• Crisis on European Borders and Russia’s Threats .
• What were the merits and drawbacks of Catherine the Great ?
• Communist Nations Divisions During the Cold War .
• How did other countries react to the Russian version of communism?
• The Cold War Between the U.S. and the Soviet Union .
• Did the communist regime make Russia stronger, or did it throw it back in time?
• The Collapse of the Soviet Union .

African History Essay Topics

• Why did the imperial historiography propagate that Africa had no history? They wanted to create the image of Africa as the “dark continent.” How did the historians justify these statements and relate them to the absence of writing?
• The Kingdom of Kush : The most powerful African kingdom. Describe the period of its existence and outline the possible reasons for its decay. Which historical monuments have been found of that era?
• Do you support the idea that humanity originated in Africa? Why does this statement insult the Western World? Is there enough evidence that proves the idea?
• We know about African history from the perspective of Western scholars. Even the locally educated people who study history have adopted the Western way of looking at the past. What can be done about that?
• Before European colonization , there were about 10,000 states in Africa. Describe their ethnic similarities and shared customs that we know nowadays.
• What do we know about prehistoric Africa, i.e., the one that existed before the Ancient Egypt civilization?
• China in Africa: Aspects of Sino-African Relations.
• Why is slavery often mentioned as the initial reference point in African history?
• African Americans Fight for the Rights.
• Which problems arose in some African societies as a result of decolonization ?
• The History of African American Women’s Fights for Suffrage.
• Describe how decolonized Africa tried to decolonize its history.
• Colonialism, Ideology, Ethnicity, Religion, Social Class, and Legitimacy in Africa’s Politics .

Australian History Essay Topics

• James Cook was not the first one to discover Australia. Who were his predecessors? Why didn’t they gain as much fame as Cook did?

• King O’Malley : The founder of the Australian capital. How did he favor the creation of the Commonwealth Bank? How did Prime Minister Fisher ensure trust in the bank among the population?
• Why did the Ballarat Rebellion finish just in 30 minutes? What did the rebels struggle for? How did the event lead to the signing of the Electoral Act of 1856?
• The first colonizers of Australia were prisoners. How does this fact impact the contemporary image of the country? What were the historical implications of such a demographical situation?
• Why do Australians consider the battle of 25 April 1915 (during WWI) as “the birth of the nation?” Describe the reasons that made Australian Imperial Forces participate in the war and attack the Turkish coast?
• Why were Afghan cameleers important in Australia, and what caused their disappearance?
• Aboriginal and Chinese Australians: Cultural Diversity.
• What were the causes of the Rum rebellion of 1808, and which role did William Bligh play in it?
• How Have Australian Attitudes Towards ‘Asia’ Changed Since the 1890 ?
• Describe the role of Merino sheep in the Australian economy since they were first brought there by Captain John Macarthur in 1797.
• Is Australian Foreign Policy Now Independent?
• Ned Kelly : A ruthless killer or a symbol of resistance to the colonial power?
• Multiculturalism in Australian Society .
• Describe the Brisbane Line and its role in the Japanese invasion.
• China’s and Australia’s Management of International Disputes .

🤴 History Essay Topics on Key Figures

The significance of historical figures is something challenging to measure and compare. And there is indeed no need to do that; everyone has their place, time, and role. With these topics below, we offer you to dive into biographies of some fascinating people. Take a deep breath; we are almost there!

Central Figures of Ancient History

• Plato vs. Aristotle : The abstract vs. the empirical. Both of them are the most influential figures in Western philosophy. Aristotle was Plato’s disciple. What made their ideas so different?
• Why was Diogenes a controversial personality? How did he manage to criticize social conventions through his simple lifestyle? Is poverty a virtue, as Diogenes claimed?
• Aeschylus: The father of Tragedy . What were his contributions to the image of Ancient Greek theater? Explore his influence beyond his own time.
• Homer created the ancient Greek identity. Did he formulate the qualities already present in his compatriots ? Alternatively, did he idealize the past to make the Greeks aspire for more?
• Cleisthenes : The father of the Athenian democracy. Explore his contribution to the governance of Athens. How different was it from the modern idea of democracy?
• The Ancient City of Tikal: Mayan Cultural, Social, Astronomy and Political Influence .
• Why did Mark Antony and Cleopatra trust one another so much?
• Plutarch : Our window to the ancient times.
• Cleopatra’s Life and Political Impact .
• How did Alexander the Great and his conquest change the ancient world?
• Ethical Life Issues in Works by Cicero and C.S. Lewis .
• Why do we consider Hippocrates as the father of medicine ?
• Aristotle and Relationships at Work .
• Describe the difference between the historical and fictional accounts of the assassination of Julius Caesar.
• Alaric I the Visigoth: The person responsible for the Sack of Rome in 410.
• Jesus & Mohammed: Comparison and Contrast .
• Why was Leonidas I encircled by a hero cult?
• Moses in Christianity, Judaism and Islam .

Central Figures of Medieval Ages

• Tomás de Torquemada was the first Grand Inquisitor of Spain. Why did his name become the synonym of religious fanaticism and cruelty? What made him the most notorious Inquisitor?
• Charlemagne was the creator of modern Europe. He divided the Carolingian Empire between his sons. He also added more parts to Europe that had never been under Roman or Frankish control before. Explore his activity.
• Avicenna (980 – 1037) was the most important polymath of the Islamic Golden Age. Analyze his contributions to modern science.
• Constantine was the last Byzantine emperor . He was killed when protecting Constantinople from the Ottoman Turks. What makes him a legendary figure in Greek culture?
• Thomas Aquinas was the first theologian that linked religion and science. He connected Christian principles with Aristotelian ideas. How did he influence our perception of God and faith?
• Did Marco Polo travel to China, or was he a big liar?
• Joan of Arc as a Military Heroine .
• Why was Sir William Marshal called “the greatest knight” in human history?
• St. Thomas Aquinas’ Cosmological Argument Analysis .
• Describe the leadership qualities of Richard the Lionheart in his battle for Jerusalem with sultan Saladin.
• Was Genghis Khan a great ruler? Analyze his leadership style.
• British Culture – Tudors, Henry VIII and Anglican Church .
• William the Conqueror and his Domesday Book : The most critical statistical document in European history.
• Why was Peter the Hermit the critical figure in the First Crusade ?
• Elizabeth I’s Leadership. English History .
• What was the role of Joan of Arc in the Hundred Years’ War?
• Pope Innocent III: The person who invented the Crusades.

Central Figures of Modern Period

• How did Otto von Bismarck change the European map and reinforce Germany? He was the first chancellor of Germany for 20 years. This fact made him the mastermind of European affairs for two decades.
• Alexander II and Nicolas II: The grandfather and the grandson. Fifty years separated prosperity from decay. The first abolished slavery, and the latter caused the collapse of the Russian Empire.
• Stalin: From a collective leadership to dictatorship . He was the man that defined the epoch. Why was he the longest ruler of the USSR? How did his activity shape the international image of the Soviet Union?
• Mahatma Gandhi liberated India from Britain . Yet, he invariably insisted on non-violent methods. Could the liberation have happened in more favorable conditions for India if he had used more aggressive measures?

• Churchill: The ideologist of the anti-Hitler coalition and the creator of the Entente. Why do we consider him the inspirer of the British movement against Nazi Germany? What were the main postulates of his ideology?
• The Civil Rights Movement by Martin Luther King .
• From the modern point of view, did Lenin fulfill his intentions by introducing communism?
• Einstein and his Contribution to Science .
• If we abstract from the issues of morality, was Hitler a positive figure for his country?
• Hitler’s Interests: Nazi Germany and the Jews .
• What was the role of Margaret Thatcher’s activity in the process of entailing deep divisions in British society?
• Leadership Management: The Case of Mahatma Gandhi .
• Analyze the life story of Sigmund Freud that brought him to become the father of psychoanalysis.
• How did Anne Boleyn help to create the Church of England?
• US Foreign Policies from Eisenhower to Kennedy .
• How did Jane Austen’s stories about unremarkable situations turn into social satire?
• George Washington: Life, Presidency, Challenges as a Commander .
• How did El Greco transform icon painting by using ordinary people as models?

Central Figures of Contemporary History

• Mao Zedong drew inspiration from the Soviet Communistic ideology. How did his principles differ from the USSR scenario? Analyze the policy of Mao Zedong from the modern Chinese point of view.
• Albert Einstein changed our perception of reality through his theory of relativity . It explained how objects behave in space and time. The approach gave us a chance to predict the future.
• Analyze the personality of Usama bin Ladin as the founder of Al-Qaeda and the most famous terroristic leader. Explore his ideology and motivation for killing civil citizens. Can we change this ideology through education?
• Stanley N. Cohen was the first person who managed to cut DNA into pieces. But Paul Berg is considered the father of genetic engineering. Which personality did more for genetics?
• Harry Truman was a Vice President only for several weeks. Truman, the 33rd US President, ordered the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why did he do so?
• Queen Elizabeth’s II contributions to the UK we know now.
• Truman Doctrine in the United States History .
• Anne Frank: The girl whose diary united millions of human tragedies.
• Barack Obama’s Political Doctrine and Its Elements .
• Describe the role of Douglas MacArthur in Japan’s restoration after WWII .
• Maria Curie : The woman who taught us to use X-rays.
• Merkel’s Germany and Trump’s Us Stances on Migration Policies .

• How did Grace Kelly contribute to the image of Monaco as a touristic paradise?
• Why did Gorbachev win the Nobel Peace Prize?

🏳️‍🌈 Argumentative History Topics on Significant Movements

Each epoch has had some movements that perform the leading ideas and soul of the corresponding time. Political, social, religious, and other movements have left multiple traces in different spheres of life. The necessity to explore these traces is pretty obvious, right? Let’s do it together.

Political Movements

• Why does extreme libertarianism reject the authority of the state?
• Anarchy and Sovereignty in International Relations .
• Is it correct to regard feminism as a political movement ?
• Analyze the incorrect interpretation of Nietzsche’s philosophy by the German Nazi.
• “Manifesto of the Communist Party” by Karl Marx .
• How do eugenic policies entail the loss of genetic diversity?
• Discussion of Capitalism and Socialism .
• Why are there two major parties in US politics?
• Explore the development of the Women’s Suffrage movement in your local area.
• Why does any political movement require access to state power to be successful?
• Islamism: Political Movement & Range of Ideologies .
• Does lobbying influence the development of various political movements in power?
• Democratic Regime and Liberation Movements .
• Describe communism as a secular religion.
• Is anti-capitalism a viable ideology?

Social Movements

• What are the achievements of the animal rights movement?
• White Society’s Reaction to Civil Rights Movement .
• Which women’s rights movements do you know, and what are their goals?
• Civil Rights and #BlackLivesMatter Social Movements .
• Do you believe that some psychological problems make people participate in social movements?

• What did the Black Power Movement (1960 – 1980s) achieve?
• Women’s Rights Movement Impact on Education.
• What are the psychological effects of volunteering in hospices?
• The Strategy of the National Popular Vote Movement .
• Analyze the success of the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Greta Thunberg : The inspirer of the international movement against climate change.
• Free Movement of Workers in the EU Single Market .
• Why does the majority of the population negatively look at all sorts of social movements?
• #MeToo movement and its results: The cancellation culture.

Art Movements

• How did the return of the African culture to the natives after WWII give birth to a new art movement?
• Why are modern art movements so numerous, and what does this fact characterize?
• Futurism. Artistic and Social Movement.
• Which art movement do you consider the most recognizable?
• Do you think Cubism is an art or a protest against artistic tradition?
• An artistic movement: Copying geniuses or drawing inspiration from them?
• Andy Warhol’s Paintings .
• How did the Hudson River School of Art shape American painting?
• Why did art in late Medieval Europe face decay?
• Art Movements in History: Baroque .
• What is the difference between the Baroque and Rococo styles?
• Which artistic movement initiated the use of perspective in painting, and why did it happen?

Religious and Spiritual Movements

• Explore the influence of fundamentalism on evangelicalism in America.
• Look for similar features between new religious movements and radical Islamic groups .
• Describe the distinctive traits of new religious movements that differentiate them from older religions.
• Which methods does the Religious Right movement use against the LGBT community?
• Do religious movements favor or impede globalization ?
• Which psychological reasons drive young people to Satanism?
• Why do people create new cults , and are they detrimental to society?
• Explore the difference between a spiritual and religious movement.
• Relation Between God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit .
• Is it correct to consider atheism as a religious movement?
• Modern spiritual movements: business or altruism?

📿 Interesting History Essay Topics on Traditions

No matter the military history of a state or region, cultural heritage and traditions are something every society has. Now, the most exciting part is to explore these traditions and rituals. It can be a long journey!

• Trace the difference between Vlad the Impaler as a historical and mythical figure.

• Which events and traditions shaped the way we imagine a witch?
• False and Folk Etymologies of Words .
• Analyze Baba Yaga as the symbol of mother nature in Russian folklore.
• How does German folklore reflect in the tales of the Brothers Grimm ?
• The Thousand & One Nights: Folk Collection Overview .
• Is there any scientific explanation for weather prediction by natural signs is present in many cultures’ folklore?
• Witch-Hunt in Europe During the Middle Ages .
• Half-human creatures of ancient times: Who were they, and which archetype did they represent?
• Explore the folklore origins of the Swastika , which became the Nazi symbol.
• The mythology of Achilles’ heel: What does it symbolize?
• The Epic of Gilgamesh – A Classic Tale .
• Describe the meaning of fireflies in Japanese culture.
• “The Tale of Kieu” by Nguyen Du .
• What is the link between zombies and voodoo?
• Discover the origins of putting a pickle ornament on Christmas trees in Germany.
• Why Saturnalia, Mithras, and Hanukkah were the precursors of modern-day Christmas?
• What is the link between the Festival of Lanterns and Chinese New Year?
• What are the origins of Imbolc in Celtic tradition?
• Chinese Spring Festival .
• Which African-American harvest celebrations were unified under the name of Kwanzaa?
• What does Jewish Hannukah commemorate, and why does it last eight days?
• Why does the US celebrate Veterans Day at the 11th hour on the 11th day and 11th month?
• Why did the US presidents start racing Easter Eggs?
• What is the relation between Daylight Savings time and WWI?
• Analyze the geography and calendar of Christmas in different parts of the world.
• Why are most rituals practiced in modern world religions?
• Buddhism: History, Origins, and Rituals .
• Describe human sacrifice rituals in Ancient Rome .
• Why do civilized countries use rituals in politics, for example, during the presidential inauguration?
• Crusades from a Christian Viewpoint .
• Compare male and female initiation rituals in African countries.
• How do funeral rituals help humans overcome the pain of loss?
• Marriage rituals in Japan: History that is preserved to nowadays.
• Explore pagan rituals that remained in the Christian culture.
• Is Baptism a ritual of initiation?
• What do the burial rituals of native Americans tell us about their culture?

👁️‍ Essay Topics on Historical Mysteries

Have you ever thought about how many things around us are still covered with layers of questions? Humanity has still not resolved some events, places, and people that took place throughout history. Let’s have a look at some breathtaking historical mysteries.

• Think of the reasons for the Great Leap Forward . Why did people start painting caves and making jewelry?
• During the Middle Ages, English speakers changed the way they pronounced vowels. What are the theories of the Great Vowel Shift ?
• The Green Children of Woolpit: A scary folk tale or a historical event?
• The Inca civilization: Highway and postal system, skull surgeries, and other signs of culture.
• The Sea Peoples caused the Bronze Age Collapse. Who were they? Where did they come from?
• What are the available explanations of the Phoenix Lights?
• The Salem Witch Trials and Their Impact on Massachusetts .
• Analyze the theories explaining the Baghdad batteries and select the most true-to-life version.
• What do we know about the “ Nazi Bell. ” Why is there so little information about the secret weapon?
• What do we know about the Philadelphia Experiment ? Discuss the major theories and opinions on that case.
• The Tunguska event: Military experiments or a meteoroid impact?
• The mystery of Yonaguni Island and its underwater structures: Who were their creators?
• The Bermuda Triangle: Human error camouflaged as a mystery.
• Was the uncanny nature of The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park created by Stephen King?
• Delano Roosevelt’s bomb shelter : Why did the President order to construct the chamber in 1941?
• What is known about the secret passageways and hiding rooms of the British Queen?
• The chief designer of the “hall of records” in Mount Rushmore died before completing his work. Was it a conspiracy?
• Why do the scientists believe that the secret of Stonehenge will be revealed in some decades?
• Find out the facts that point to the existence of Atlantis.
• The Lock Ness Lake and the monster: A non-extinct dinosaur?
• Money Pit on the Oak Island : A geologic formation or a place to hide treasures?
• What traits make Jack the Ripper so attractive to historians and fiction writers?
• Italian Americans Portrayed as Mafia Members in Films .
• Keth Arnold saw some “flying saucers” that traveled faster than jet airplanes. Was it a UFO or a flock of birds?
• David Blair: The person who was guilty in the Titanic catastrophe.
• Was Joan of Arc executed for heresy or for dressing in male clothes?
• The mystery of Amelia Earhart: Dead or alive?
• Was Grigori Rasputin really capable of predicting the future?
• Did the lost Grand Duchess Anastasia die when the rest of the Romanov family was killed?
• Explore the mystery of the Babushka Lady , who recorded the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What is known about her and the purposes of her filming?
• The Man in the Iron Mask and his sentence in the Bastille: Who could he be?
• Perseus in the Manhattan Project: How did he manage to hide from the US for so long?

📝 Historical Topics to Write About – 2024

• Geopolitical consequences of the USSR collapse for the world.
• The influence of Confucianism on modern society in China.
• How did the formation of NATO impact the Cold War?
• The significance of Napoleon Bonaparte in European history.
• The development of democracy in ancient Athens.
• Reagan’s tax reform and its impact on the modern economy.
• What were the key consequences of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings?
• The September 11th events and their impact on global security.
• The Manhattan Project and the development of nuclear weapons.
• The influence of slavery on African American families.
• Mahatma Gandhi and his influence on the ideology of modern India.
• What was the role of the first moon landing in astronomy?
• The ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its value.
• The true history of the Confederate flag.
• How much regulation is necessary for capitalism to function?
• The main causes of the Vietnam War.
• Historical events should be reexamined through a contemporary ethical lens.
• The debate over the role of the United States in the Middle East.
• The controversy behind the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• Operation “Barbarossa”: aggression or attack prevention?
• The reasons for Martin Luther King’s assassination.
• The efficiency of the United Nations.
• Christopher Columbus: heroic explorer or the harbinger of genocide?
• The disputes about the origins of Shakespeare.
• Was Donald Trump an effective president?
• The benefits of communism in Eastern Europe.
• Is the world doing enough to prevent the destruction of historical sites?
• The real motive behind the Watergate scandal.
• South Korean provocations of the Korean War.
• Should the United States have entered World War I?
• Princess Diana’s death as the subject of a conspiracy theory.
• The effect of the Cuban Missile Crisis on the Cold War.
• Is the international community doing enough to commemorate the Holocaust?
• The debate over the use of internment camps during WWII.
• The factors contributing to the Nazi Party’s rise in Germany
• Did the attack on Pearl Harbor push the USA into WWII?
• The leading causes of the Roman Empire’s fall.
• Mysteries of the disappearance of the Mayan civilization.
• Disputes about the role of women in medieval society.
• The corruption of the Catholic Church: myth or truth?
• Capitalism is the best economic system.
• The injustices experienced by Muslims after 9/11.
• What would have happened without Hitler?

👉 History Essay Topics: How to Choose

Selecting the proper essay topic can sometimes be rather tricky. Especially after reading all these fascinating questions above😏

Jokes aside, perfect topic choice is crucial if you want to write a good essay or a research paper and get a high grade. Here are some useful tips that will help you make the right choice and write a great history essay.

♟️ Strategies for Historical Argument Topics

When it comes right to writing a historical essay, you should consider several scenarios of how to build your text. Depending on your topic and the point of view, you might need different strategies.

Now, let’s see the differences between descriptive and research argumentative essays on historical topics.

• Historians debate my topic. I agree with some of them, and I’m going to prove that. I will use their arguments to show their correctness.
• Historians disagree on my topic. I think they shall start their debate all over again, as they have reached a dead end.
• Historians relatively agree on my topic. I have developed a better interpretation of the events in question.
• Historians disregarded my topic. I will explain its topicality and list what should be researched.
• Several historians have examined my topic, but their findings are inconsistent. I will present more constructive evidence to clarify things.
• Many historians have studied my topic. However, I will take a fresh look at the subject matter from the perspective of new research or methodologies.

And we are done here.

Now, have a break if you’ve read all 396 topics. Though, wait, did you find something fitting you? In that case, you are free for a break 👼

In case if you are still not sure what to write about, we recommend you to read these topic compilations:

• The Best Argumentative Essay Topics for 2024
• Hot Problem-Solution Essay Topics
• 250+ Interesting Topics to Research
• Cause & Effect Essay Topics for Students
• Top 138 Awesome Sociology Essay Topics & Questions for 2024

We are pretty sure there’s no hopeless situation. It’s just a matter of time and effort. And everyone needs a different amount of each. So, keep calm, and let’s rock this history essay!

Good luck, friends 🍀

Research Paper Analysis: How to Analyze a Research Article + Example

Film analysis: example, format, and outline + topics & prompts.

HeinOnline Blog

The 15 most inspiring presidential speeches in american history.

• By Tara Kibler
• February 15, 2021
• History , Political Science

Over the centuries, millions upon millions of words have been used by U.S. presidents to motivate, caution, reassure, and guide the American people. Whether written in the news, spoken at a podium, or shared on Twitter, all of these words have carried weight, each with the potential to impact the trajectory of our nation. Only a handful of times, however, has the particular arrangement and context of these words been considered truly inspiring.

This Presidents’ Day, join HeinOnline in rediscovering some of the greatest presidential speeches in American history using our   U.S. Presidential Library  and other sources.

1. Washington’s Farewell Address

Date:  September 17th, 1796

Context:  Toward the end of his second term as the first U.S. president, George Washington announced his retirement from office in a letter addressed to the American people. Though many feared for a United States without Washington, the address reassured the young nation that it no longer required his leadership. Washington also used the opportunity to offer advice for the prosperity of the country. After witnessing the growing division between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties, much of his advice was to warn against political parties, factions, and other animosities (domestic and foreign) that would eventually undermine the integrity and efficacy of the American government.

Notable Quote:  “This spirit [of party], unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind … [but] the disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

“Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions … A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.”

2. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Date:  November 19, 1863

Context:  Four months after Union armies defeated Confederates at Gettysburg during the American Civil War, President Lincoln visited the site to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. In what were intended to be brief, appropriate remarks for the situation, Lincoln used the moment to offer his take on the war and its meaning. The ten sentences he spoke would ultimately become one of the most famous speeches in American history, an inspiration for notable remarks centuries later, and even a foundation for the wording of other countries’ constitutions.

Notable Quote:  “… from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they heregave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain; that the Nation shall under God have a new birth of freedom, and that Governments of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

3. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Inaugural Address

Date:  March 4, 1933

Context:  The inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt was held as the country was in the throes of the Great Depression, and as such, America anxiously awaited what he had to say. Roosevelt did not disappoint, offering 20 minutes of reassurance, hope, and promises for urgent action.

Notable Quote:  “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is … fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.”

4. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Fireside Chat

Date:  March 12, 1933

Context:  Just a few days after his inauguration, Roosevelt instituted what he called “fireside chats,” using the relatively new technology of radio to enter the living rooms of Americans and discuss current issues. In these moments, he could speak at length, unfiltered and uninterrupted by the press, while also offering a reassuring, optimistic tone that might otherwise have been lost in the written word. In this first fireside chat, he crafted a message to explain the American banking process (and its current difficulties) in a way that the average listener could understand.

Notable Quote:  “Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith. You must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system, and it is up to you to support and make it work. It is your problem, my friends. Your problem no less than it is mine. Together, we cannot fail.”

5. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” Speech

Date:  January 6, 1941

Context:  By 1941, many affected by the Great Depression had experienced economic recovery, but another world-changing phenomenon had reared its head—Hitler and his Nazi regime. World War II was raging in Europe and the Pacific, but the United States had thus far remained largely neutral. In light of the atrocities occurring overseas, Roosevelt sought to change that. He crafted his State of the Union address that January to highlight four freedoms which are deserved by all humans everywhere. The “Four Freedoms” speech, as it was ultimately known, later became the basis for  America’s intervention in World War II  and significantly influenced American values, life, and politics moving forward.

Notable Quote:  “In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peace of time life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction, armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.”

6. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” Speech

Date:  December 8, 1953

Context:  During World War II, Roosevelt formally authorized the Manhattan Project, a top-secret U.S. effort to weaponize nuclear energy. By 1945,  America had successfully created the atomic bomb , and President Truman had authorized its detonation in Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leveling the two cities and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Following the end of World War II, political and economic differences between the United States and Soviet Union drove the two countries to another war soon after, but this time, the Soviet Union had their own atomic bomb as well. The world was teetering on a frightening ledge built by access to nuclear power, causing President Eisenhower to launch an “emotion management” campaign with this speech to the United Nations about the very real risks but also peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Notable Quote:  “… the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build. It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified. My country wants to be constructive, not destructive. It wants agreements, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the peoples of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life. … The United States knows that if the fearful trend of atomic military build-up can be reversed, this greatest of destructive forces can be developed into a great boon, for the benefit of all mankind.”

7. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address

Date:  January 17, 1961

Context:  As he came to the end of his term, President Eisenhower found himself in a nation much stronger, much richer, and much more advanced than when he began. Prepared as early as two years in advance, his farewell address acknowledged the pride all should have in these achievements, but also served to ground the American people in sobering reality—that how the United States uses this power and standing will ultimately determine its fate. Like Washington, his address was one of caution against dangers such as massive spending, an overpowered military industry, and Federal domination of scientific progress (or vice versa, the scientific-technological domination of public policy). In all things, he stressed the need to maintain balance as the country moves forward, for the preservation of liberty.

Notable Quote:  “Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield.”

8. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address

Date:  January 20, 1961

Context:  A few days after Eisenhower’s farewell speech, he turned over his office to the youngest-ever elected president, John F. Kennedy. Kennedy now found himself faced with the monumental task of strengthening the United States while also quelling American anxieties about the Cold War and avoiding nuclear warfare. His speech thus focused on unity, togetherness, and collaboration both domestically and abroad.

Notable Quote:  “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

9. Kennedy’s “We Choose to Go to the Moon” Speech

Date:  September 12, 1962

Context:  In the name of national security, the United States and USSR set their sights on spaceflight as a top priority during the Cold War. To the surprise (and fear) of people around the globe, the Soviet Union launched the first-ever artificial satellite in 1957, then sent the first human being into space in 1961, signaling to onlookers that its nation was a technological force to be reckoned with. Kennedy was determined to come up with a challenge in space technology that the United States actually stood a chance to win. In the early ’60s, he proposed that America focus on putting a man on the moon. In an uplifting speech at Rice University, Kennedy reminded his listeners of the country’s technological progress so far and of his administration’s determination to continue the pioneering spirit of early America into the new frontier of space.

Notable Quote:  “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

Read about America’s successful moon landing in this blog post.

10. Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” Speech

Date:  May 22, 1964

Context:  Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President in 1963, immediately following  Kennedy’s assassination . Johnson vowed to continue the former president’s work on poverty, civil rights, and other issues. Inspired in part by FDR’s New Deal, he devised a set of programs intended to completely eliminate poverty and racial injustice. In 1964, he formally proposed some specific goals in a speech to the University of Michigan, where he coined the lofty ideal of a “Great Society.”

Notable Quote:  “Your imagination, your initiative, and your indignation will determine whether we build a society where progress is the servant of our needs, or a society where old values and new visions are buried under unbridled growth. For in your time we have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society.”

11. Lyndon B. Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” Speech

Date:  March 15, 1965

Context:  By the 1960s, blacks in areas of the Deep South found themselves disenfranchised by state voting laws, such as those requiring a poll tax, literacy tests, or knowledge of the U.S. constitution. Furthermore, these laws were sometimes applied subjectively, leading to the prevention of even educated blacks from voting or registering to vote. Inspired (and sometimes joined) by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., protests were planned throughout the region. Eight days after racial violence erupted around one of these protests in Selma, Alabama, President Johnson addressed Congress to declare that “every American citizen must have an equal right to vote” and that discriminatory policies were denying African-Americans that right.

Notable Quote:  “What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and State of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause too. Because it’s not just Negroes, but really it’s all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome …

“This great, rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all, all black and white, all North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. They’re our enemies, not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too—poverty, disease, and ignorance: we shall overcome.”

12. Reagan’s D-Day Anniversary Address

Date:  June 6, 1984

Context:  During World War II, the Allied forces attacked German troops on the coast of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. A turning point for the war, the day came to be known as D-Day, and its anniversary is forever acknowledged. On its 40th anniversary, President Ronald Reagan honored the heroes of that day in a speech that also invoked a comparison of World War II’s Axis dictators to the Soviet Union during the ongoing Cold War. This reminder to the Allies that they once fought together against totalitarianism and must continue the fight now helped contribute to the ultimate dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Notable Quote:  “We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action. We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it. We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We’re bound by reality. The strength of America’s allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe’s democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.”

13. Reagan’s Berlin Wall Speech

Date:  June 12, 1987

Context:  With the fall of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II, Western powers and the Soviet Union sought to establish systems of government in their respective occupied regions. West Germany developed into a Western capitalist country, with a democratic parliamentary government, while East Germany became a socialist workers’ state (though it was often referred to as communist in the English-speaking world). Many experiencing hunger, poverty, and repression in the Soviet-influenced East Germany attempted to move west, with the City of Berlin their main point of crossing. Ultimately, the Soviet Union advised East Germany to build a wall on the inner German border, restricting movement and emigration by threat of execution for attempted emigrants. Seen as a symbol of Communist tyranny by Western nations, the Berlin Wall persisted for nearly three decades. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan visited West Berlin and called upon Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to take down the wall as a symbol of moving forward.

Notable Quote:  “We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

14. George W. Bush’s Post-9/11 Speech

Date:  September 11, 2001

Context:  On September 11, 2001, the United States experienced  the single worst terrorist attack in human history , where four American planes were hijacked and flown into American buildings, killing nearly 3,000 people. Viewers around the world watched the news as five stories of the Pentagon fell and the World Trade Center buildings collapsed entirely. Later that evening, President George W. Bush addressed the nation with a brief but powerful message that chose to focus not on fear, but on America’s strength in unity.

Notable Quote:

“These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.”

15. Obama’s “More Perfect Union” Speech

Date:  March 18, 2008

Context:  While campaigning for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama came under fire for his relationship with pastor Jeremiah Wright, who had been heard to denounce the United States and accuse the government of racial crimes. To officially address the relationship and condemn Wright’s inflammatory remarks, Obama crafted a speech that discussed the history of racial inequality in America as well as the dissonance between that history and America’s ideals of human liberty. Importantly, however, he also highlighted the necessity for a unified American people to effectively combat those issues, rather than more racial division.

Notable Quote:  “[T]he remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country—a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America ….

“[These] comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems—two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all ….

“The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through—a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.”

Read about Barack Obama’s presidency in this blog post.

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‘I Have a Dream’ Speech

By: History.com Editors

Updated: December 19, 2023 | Original: November 30, 2017

The “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. before a crowd of some 250,000 people at the 1963 March on Washington, remains one of the most famous speeches in history. Weaving in references to the country’s Founding Fathers and the Bible , King used universal themes to depict the struggles of African Americans before closing with an improvised riff on his dreams of equality. The eloquent speech was immediately recognized as a highlight of the successful protest, and has endured as one of the signature moments of the civil rights movement .

Civil Rights Movement Before the Speech

Martin Luther King Jr. , a young Baptist minister, rose to prominence in the 1950s as a spiritual leader of the burgeoning civil rights movement and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SLCC).

By the early 1960s, African Americans had seen gains made through organized campaigns that placed its participants in harm’s way but also garnered attention for their plight. One such campaign, the 1961 Freedom Rides , resulted in vicious beatings for many participants, but resulted in the Interstate Commerce Commission ruling that ended the practice of segregation on buses and in stations.

Similarly, the Birmingham Campaign of 1963, designed to challenge the Alabama city’s segregationist policies, produced the searing images of demonstrators being beaten, attacked by dogs and blasted with high-powered water hoses.

Around the time he wrote his famed “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King decided to move forward with the idea for another event that coordinated with Negro American Labor Council (NACL) founder A. Philip Randolph’s plans for a job rights march.

March on Washington

Thanks to the efforts of veteran organizer Bayard Rustin, the logistics of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom came together by the summer of 1963.

Joining Randolph and King were the fellow heads of the “Big Six” civil rights organizations: Roy Wilkins of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Whitney Young of the National Urban League (NUL), James Farmer of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Other influential leaders also came aboard, including Walter Reuther of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Joachim Prinz of the American Jewish Congress (AJC).

Scheduled for August 28, the event was to consist of a mile-long march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, in honor of the president who had signed the Emancipation Proclamation a century earlier, and would feature a series of prominent speakers.

Its stated goals included demands for desegregated public accommodations and public schools, redress of violations of constitutional rights and an expansive federal works program to train employees.

The March on Washington produced a bigger turnout than expected, as an estimated 250,000 people arrived to participate in what was then the largest gathering for an event in the history of the nation’s capital.

Along with notable speeches by Randolph and Lewis, the audience was treated to performances by folk luminaries Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and gospel favorite Mahalia Jackson .

‘I Have a Dream’ Speech Origins

In preparation for his turn at the event, King solicited contributions from colleagues and incorporated successful elements from previous speeches. Although his “I have a dream” segment did not appear in his written text, it had been used to great effect before, most recently during a June 1963 speech to 150,000 supporters in Detroit.

Unlike his fellow speakers in Washington, King didn’t have the text ready for advance distribution by August 27. He didn’t even sit down to write the speech until after arriving at his hotel room later that evening, finishing up a draft after midnight.

‘Free At Last’

As the March on Washington drew to a close, television cameras beamed Martin Luther King’s image to a national audience. He began his speech slowly but soon showed his gift for weaving recognizable references to the Bible, the U.S. Constitution and other universal themes into his oratory.

Pointing out how the country’s founders had signed a “promissory note” that offered great freedom and opportunity, King noted that “Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.'”

At times warning of the potential for revolt, King nevertheless maintained a positive, uplifting tone, imploring the audience to “go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.”

Mahalia Jackson Prompts MLK: 'Tell 'em About the Dream, Martin'

Around the halfway point of the speech, Mahalia Jackson implored him to “Tell ’em about the ‘Dream,’ Martin.” Whether or not King consciously heard, he soon moved away from his prepared text.

Repeating the mantra, “I have a dream,” he offered up hope that “my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” and the desire to “transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”

“And when this happens,” he bellowed in his closing remarks, “and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'”

‘I Have a Dream’ Speech Text

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence , they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men, yes, Black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check—a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"

We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.

We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.

We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.

We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only."

We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, that one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exhalted [sic], every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

MLK Speech Reception

King’s stirring speech was immediately singled out as the highlight of the successful march.

James Reston of The New York Times wrote that the “pilgrimage was merely a great spectacle” until King’s turn, and James Baldwin later described the impact of King’s words as making it seem that “we stood on a height, and could see our inheritance; perhaps we could make the kingdom real.”

Just three weeks after the march, King returned to the difficult realities of the struggle by eulogizing three of the girls killed in the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

Still, his televised triumph at the feet of Lincoln brought favorable exposure to his movement, and eventually helped secure the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 . The following year, after the violent Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama, African Americans secured another victory with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 .

Over the final years of his life, King continued to spearhead campaigns for change even as he faced challenges by increasingly radical factions of the movement he helped popularize. Shortly after visiting Memphis, Tennessee, in support of striking sanitation workers, and just hours after delivering another celebrated speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” King was assassinated by shooter James Earl Ray on the balcony of his hotel room on April 4, 1968.

'I Have a Dream' Speech Legacy

Remembered for its powerful imagery and its repetition of a simple and memorable phrase, King’s “I Have a Dream” speech has endured as a signature moment of the civil rights struggle, and a crowning achievement of one of the movement’s most famous faces.

The Library of Congress added the speech to the National Recording Registry in 2002, and the following year the National Park Service dedicated an inscribed marble slab to mark the spot where King stood that day.

In 2016, Time included the speech as one of its 10 greatest orations in history.

HISTORY Vault: Black History

Watch acclaimed Black History documentaries on HISTORY Vault.

“I Have a Dream,” Address Delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute . March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. National Park Service . JFK, A. Philip Randolph and the March on Washington. The White House Historical Association . The Lasting Power of Dr. King’s Dream Speech. The New York Times .

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112 Persuasive Speech Topics That Are Actually Engaging

What’s covered:, how to pick an awesome persuasive speech topic, 112 engaging persuasive speech topics, tips for preparing your persuasive speech.

Writing a stellar persuasive speech requires a carefully crafted argument that will resonate with your audience to sway them to your side. This feat can be challenging to accomplish, but an engaging, thought-provoking speech topic is an excellent place to start.

When it comes time to select a topic for your persuasive speech, you may feel overwhelmed by all the options to choose from—or your brain may be drawing a completely blank slate. If you’re having trouble thinking of the perfect topic, don’t worry. We’re here to help!

In this post, we’re sharing how to choose the perfect persuasive speech topic and tips to prepare for your speech. Plus, you’ll find 112 persuasive speech topics that you can take directly from us or use as creative inspiration for your own ideas!

Choose Something You’re Passionate About

It’s much easier to write, research, and deliver a speech about a cause you care about. Even if it’s challenging to find a topic that completely sparks your interest, try to choose a topic that aligns with your passions.

However, keep in mind that not everyone has the same interests as you. Try to choose a general topic to grab the attention of the majority of your audience, but one that’s specific enough to keep them engaged.

For example, suppose you’re giving a persuasive speech about book censorship. In that case, it’s probably too niche to talk about why “To Kill a Mockingbird” shouldn’t be censored (even if it’s your favorite book), and it’s too broad to talk about media censorship in general.

Steer Clear of Cliches

Have you already heard a persuasive speech topic presented dozens of times? If so, it’s probably not an excellent choice for your speech—even if it’s an issue you’re incredibly passionate about.

Although polarizing topics like abortion and climate control are important to discuss, they aren’t great persuasive speech topics. Most people have already formed an opinion on these topics, which will either cause them to tune out or have a negative impression of your speech.

Instead, choose topics that are fresh, unique, and new. If your audience has never heard your idea presented before, they will be more open to your argument and engaged in your speech.

Have a Clear Side of Opposition

For a persuasive speech to be engaging, there must be a clear side of opposition. To help determine the arguability of your topic, ask yourself: “If I presented my viewpoint on this topic to a group of peers, would someone disagree with me?” If the answer is yes, then you’ve chosen a great topic!

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for what it takes to choose a great persuasive speech topic, here are over one hundred options for you to choose from.

• Should high school athletes get tested for steroids?
• Should schools be required to have physical education courses?
• Should sports grades in school depend on things like athletic ability?
• What sport should be added to or removed from the Olympics?
• Should college athletes be able to make money off of their merchandise?
• Should sports teams be able to recruit young athletes without a college degree?
• Should we consider video gamers as professional athletes?
• Is cheerleading considered a sport?
• Should parents allow their kids to play contact sports?
• Should professional female athletes be paid the same as professional male athletes?
• Should college be free at the undergraduate level?
• Is the traditional college experience obsolete?
• Should you choose a major based on your interests or your potential salary?
• Should high school students have to meet a required number of service hours before graduating?
• Should teachers earn more or less based on how their students perform on standardized tests?
• Are private high schools more effective than public high schools?
• Should there be a minimum number of attendance days required to graduate?
• Are GPAs harmful or helpful?
• Should schools be required to teach about standardized testing?
• Should Greek Life be banned in the United States?
• Should schools offer science classes explicitly about mental health?
• Should students be able to bring their cell phones to school?
• Should all public restrooms be all-gender?
• Should undocumented immigrants have the same employment and education opportunities as citizens?
• Should everyone be paid a living wage regardless of their employment status?
• Should supremacist groups be able to hold public events?
• Should guns be allowed in public places?
• Should the national drinking age be lowered?
• Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
• Should the government raise or lower the retirement age?
• Should the government be able to control the population?
• Is the death penalty ethical?

Environment

• Should stores charge customers for plastic bags?
• Should breeding animals (dogs, cats, etc.) be illegal?
• Is it okay to have exotic animals as pets?
• Should people be fined for not recycling?
• Should compost bins become mandatory for restaurants?
• Should electric vehicles have their own transportation infrastructure?
• Would heavier fining policies reduce corporations’ emissions?
• Should hunting be encouraged or illegal?
• Should reusable diapers replace disposable diapers?

Science & Technology

• Is paper media more reliable than digital news sources?
• Should automated/self-driving cars be legalized?
• Should schools be required to provide laptops to all students?
• Should software companies be able to have pre-downloaded programs and applications on devices?
• Should drones be allowed in military warfare?
• Should scientists invest more or less money into cancer research?
• Should cloning be illegal?
• Should societies colonize other planets?
• Should there be legal oversight over the development of technology?

Social Media

• Should there be an age limit on social media?
• Should cyberbullying have the same repercussions as in-person bullying?
• Are online relationships as valuable as in-person relationships?
• Does “cancel culture” have a positive or negative impact on societies?
• Are social media platforms reliable information or news sources?
• Should social media be censored?
• Does social media create an unrealistic standard of beauty?
• Is regular social media usage damaging to real-life interactions?
• Is social media distorting democracy?
• How many branches of government should there be?
• Who is the best/worst president of all time?
• How long should judges serve in the U.S. Supreme Court?
• Should a more significant portion of the U.S. budget be contributed towards education?
• Should the government invest in rapid transcontinental transportation infrastructure?
• Should airport screening be more or less stringent?
• Should the electoral college be dismantled?
• Should the U.S. have open borders?
• Should the government spend more or less money on space exploration?
• Should students sing Christmas carols, say the pledge of allegiance, or perform other tangentially religious activities?
• Should nuns and priests become genderless roles?
• Should schools and other public buildings have prayer rooms?
• Should animal sacrifice be legal if it occurs in a religious context?
• Should countries be allowed to impose a national religion on their citizens?
• Should the church be separated from the state?
• Does freedom of religion positively or negatively affect societies?

Parenting & Family

• Is it better to have children at a younger or older age?
• Is it better for children to go to daycare or stay home with their parents?
• Does birth order affect personality?
• Should parents or the school system teach their kids about sex?
• Are family traditions important?
• Should parents smoke or drink around young children?
• Should “spanking” children be illegal?
• Should parents use swear words in front of their children?
• Should parents allow their children to play violent video games?

Entertainment

• Should all actors be paid the same regardless of gender or ethnicity?
• Should all award shows be based on popular vote?
• Who should be responsible for paying taxes on prize money, the game show staff or the contestants?
• Should movies and television shows have ethnicity and gender quotas?
• Should newspapers and magazines move to a completely online format?
• Should streaming services like Netflix and Hulu be free for students?
• Is the movie rating system still effective?
• Should celebrities have more privacy rights?

Arts & Humanities

• Are libraries becoming obsolete?
• Should all schools have mandatory art or music courses in their curriculum?
• Should offensive language be censored from classic literary works?
• Is it ethical for museums to keep indigenous artifacts?
• Should digital designs be considered an art form? 
• Should abstract art be considered an art form?
• Is music therapy effective?
• Should tattoos be regarded as “professional dress” for work?
• Should schools place greater emphasis on the arts programs?
• Should euthanasia be allowed in hospitals and other clinical settings?
• Should the government support and implement universal healthcare?
• Would obesity rates lower if the government intervened to make healthy foods more affordable?
• Should teenagers be given access to birth control pills without parental consent?
• Should food allergies be considered a disease?
• Should health insurance cover homeopathic medicine?
• Is using painkillers healthy?
• Should genetically modified foods be banned?
• Should there be a tax on unhealthy foods?
• Should tobacco products be banned from the country?
• Should the birth control pill be free for everyone?

If you need more help brainstorming topics, especially those that are personalized to your interests, you can  use CollegeVine’s free AI tutor, Ivy . Ivy can help you come up with original persuasive speech ideas, and she can also help with the rest of your homework, from math to languages.

Do Your Research

A great persuasive speech is supported with plenty of well-researched facts and evidence. So before you begin the writing process, research both sides of the topic you’re presenting in-depth to gain a well-rounded perspective of the topic.

Understand Your Audience

It’s critical to understand your audience to deliver a great persuasive speech. After all, you are trying to convince them that your viewpoint is correct. Before writing your speech, consider the facts and information that your audience may already know, and think about the beliefs and concerns they may have about your topic. Then, address these concerns in your speech, and be mindful to include fresh, new information.

Have Someone Read Your Speech

Once you have finished writing your speech, have someone read it to check for areas of strength and improvement. You can use CollegeVine’s free essay review tool to get feedback on your speech from a peer!

Practice Makes Perfect

After completing your final draft, the key to success is to practice. Present your speech out loud in front of a mirror, your family, friends, and basically, anyone who will listen. Not only will the feedback of others help you to make your speech better, but you’ll become more confident in your presentation skills and may even be able to commit your speech to memory.

Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to write a powerful, unique persuasive speech. With the perfect topic, plenty of practice, and a boost of self-confidence, we know you’ll impress your audience with a remarkable speech!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]

American history is not as long as the European one. However, it’s one of the richest histories in the world. It’s full of controversies, different opinions, and interesting facts. Those who study American history will find how many voices, perspectives, and points of view can coexist.

When writing an essay about America, you should try to stay as objective as possible. Think creatively and consider historical events from a new perspective.

This abundance of information and events can intimidate anyone. That’s why it can be very challenging to select one single US history topic to write about. There are so many!

To decide on it, students should answer several questions:

• What time period interests me the most?
• What specific event sounds the most appealing to me?
• What historical figure impresses me?

It is indeed a daunting task to attempt to put the remarkable story of the US into an essay list. Fortunately, we’re not trying to do so.

Tired of researching historical encyclopedias? This is the perfect article for you – read through this collection of 153 US history essay topics prepared by our team .

🌎Top 10 American History Topics to Write about

• 🏗️ Topics before 1877
• 🌻 Topics: 1878-1899
• 🏙️ US Topics: 1900s

🧊 Cool American History Topics

• 🧐 US Regents Topics
• ✊ Black History Topics

🎉 Fun US History Essay Topics

👌 easy american history essay topics, ❓ us history essay questions, 📋 how to cite an american history essay.

• The 20th Century.
• America’s Role in Normandy Landings.
• Conquest of California.
• The Great Depression.
• USA: Colonial History.
• The Oregon Trail.
• African American Slave Trade.
• Who was Harriet Tubman?
• America in the Modern World.
• Klondike Gold Rush.

☝️ Good US History Topics by Period

This is the IvyPanda list of American history topics that can help students get inspired!

We divided the history into epochs and organized the US history essay topics accordingly. Besides, this US history topics list structured thematically. It, hopefully, will make it easier to navigate and get started.

One of the best ways to look at history is to examine it from a chronological perspective. The topics in this section are structured based on the time period.

Every period is filled with key events and figures. American society is the product of those events—it’s vital to have a closer look at it.

🏗️ History Topics before 1877

• America before Columbus . In this topic, you can talk about the first people in the Americas and what historians know about them. There are a lot of archeological findings and artifacts that survived thousands of years. Write about Christopher Columbus and how “the discovery” was not a discovery. The Americas have been inhabited and had developed civilizations long before Europeans put their foot there.
• The first landing of Christopher Columbus and the New World

• Christopher Columbus: Biography, Discoveries, Contributions . You can talk about Christopher Columbus and his biography. Track how his image has been changing throughout history. Modern historians see him as a person who contributed to the genocide of Native Americans. What is your opinion about him?
• The British Rule in the Americas and the first British Settlements. Explore the first permanent colony in North America and what English wanted the colonies to be. There were a lot of obstacles, which first settlers had faced before Jamestown became a prosperous city. They suffered from a shortage of food, severe climate conditions, and disease. Plus, there were problems with the Indians. Research what “the middle ground” was and why this concept is relevant to this topic.
• What is Puritanism?
• Puritans in Great Britain
• The Puritan Ethic in the United States . Who the Puritans were? Why were they sent to the New World? What were their religious beliefs? Explore the influence puritans had in the past. Is puritanism still relevant in the US today?
• The Effects of the Spanish Rule and The Conquistadors in the Americas. Spanish Colonization of the Americas laid foundations for the Latin American identity. It is also considered the very first mass genocide in the world. It is indeed a matter of perspective. You can talk about how the contact between the Native Americans and the Spaniards affected both parties.
• The Protestant Reformation and its influence on the US History. Religion was one of the main reasons why the first settlers decided to travel to the New World. Write about the connection between the freedom of religion in the US. What influence did it have on the nation as a whole in the future? Why is it crucial? How did it affect the lifestyle of people in the US?
• Native Americans and “the Middle Ground” . Not everyone knows that the famous Disney cartoon Pocahontas is based on the true story. If this story was told by a Native American, it would be different. In this essay, you can comment on the role that Native Americans played in the European Colonization. Elaborate on the disappearance of “the Middle Ground.”
• The beginning of slavery in British America and the Middle Passage. You can analyze the way this institution was established. Write about the factors that influenced it in the 17th century, try to include first-person accounts of slavery. Use the American Slave Narrative , for instance, Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa . This inclusion will demonstrate how inhumane slavery was and will open a good discussion.
• Christianity, slavery, and colonialism in the US
• The witchcraft trials . Elaborate on religious views of the New England public. How such views made it possible for more than 200 people to be accused of witchcraft. Discuss a Puritan code, the structure of the society, and what type of women were prosecuted.

• The Boston Tea Party as the key event of the American Revolution. The Boston Tea Party is a highly celebrated event in the history of the US. Discuss why is that? Why is it so important for the Americans? Talk about the birth of patriotism, resistance and the revolt against colonialism. What did the rebels mean by “taxation without representation?”
• The American Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence. This topic is one of the most popular in the history of the United States. First, you could write about a military battle with Great Britain and the reasons for it. Second, talk about political battles within the US at that period. Examine the establishment of the new nation.
• How the Revolutionary war changes American Society
• Why was the Declaration of Independence written?
• Was the American Revolution really revolutionary?
• The meaning of the Constitution. This is one of the most fruitful and fascinating debates in US history. Some people argue that it is written in a very vague way to allow American society to evolve. Others say that its text allows minorities to be deprived of the very things it promises to establish. Elaborate if you find the Constitution to be a liberal, radical, or a conservative document.
• Why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. Talk about the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and explore why these amendments are so important. What did the amendments guarantee? Why was The Bill of Rights added to the Constitution in the first place?

• The Founding Fathers’ influence on the US. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are sacred documents. The Founding Fathers are major figures for the Americans as well. Writing about the influence of the Founding Fathers, select one or two members to focus on. Consider the diversity among the members. How did it help the Founding Fathers in leading the war and framing a sustainable government?
• What is the role of the Founding Fathers in American society and religion?
• European Colonization influence on the Native American population
• Removal of Indian tribes. American History is unjust at times. Explore how unconstitutional the treatment of Indian Americans was and why they find it this way. Look at the way the Founding Fathers addressed this issue. Examining the Indian Removal Act of 1830 will allow you to fully develop this topic. Analyze why the policy was accepted in the first place. Why is it called “ethnic cleansing” by the majority of historians nowadays?
• Native Americans lost their freedom
• The impact of railroads in America. The rapid expansion of America would be impossible without the railroad construction. The railroads triggered the development of the Midwest and the West. Despite that, the construction of the railroads was highly monopolistic and undemocratic. Comment on the richest men in the US – John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.
• The role of cotton in the American economy. The American Economy in the 19th century heavily depended on cotton production. There was even a saying “Cotton is King” that was very popular at that time. Besides cotton, it heavily depended on the slaves. This period in American History is called the Antebellum Era. Look at the role of cotton from several perspectives. How profitable was it? How did slaves contribute to the American economy? How financially unviable was the abolition of slavery?

• History of American Transcendentalism.
• Why was Transcendentalism important for American Culture? The essay can start with a broad explanation of what transcendentalism is. Explain where it started and how it evolved. Explore what views the group had on women’s rights, slavery, education, government, and religion. You could write about the most prominent transcendentalists – Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau.
• Religions in the 19th Century America. Known as the Second Great Awakening or Christian Revivalism, religion in the 19th century America was altered. Look back at the beginning of the American Revolution. Anglicans, Methodists, and Quackers were the fastest-growing religious groups then. Discuss all of them.
• The abolition of slavery and the Civil War . A lot of historians believe that slavery in itself did not cause the conflict. In this essay, you could elaborate on this idea and consider the other point of view. For a long essay, write about Abraham Lincoln’s thoughts on slavery. His ideas about slavery and racial inequality were one of the most discussed aspects of his entire life. Look at his letters and write about the complexity of his views.
• The causes of the Civil War and the aftermath of war. This essay is one of the easiest American history essays to write. Talk about the causes and effects of the Civil War (1861-1865) in the US. Why did it happen? What was achieved?
• The struggle over the goal and the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment . You can elaborate on the goal of the amendment. Was it able to protect the rights of black citizens? Why was it still possible for the states to deny them their right to vote?
• How did Reconstruction change the United States after the Civil war?
• The Reconstruction governments. What type of reforms did the reconstruction government implement? What positive reforms happened during the Reconstruction Era? You could discuss radical reconstruction and white supremacy that spawned during the Reconstruction period. Elaborate on the idea of manifest destiny. Why was it so popular in the 19th century in the US?
• The Compromise of 1850 . Why was reaching the compromise necessary? You can describe the terms of the compromise. Explain what results were achieved: political, economic, and cultural.

🌻 American History 1878-1899

The United States was going through many changes during this period: from various social changes and changes in foreign and domestic policies to rapid economic and cultural changes. This time saw the country changing for the best in some aspects and for the worst in others.

• Industrialization after the Civil war. Industrialization of the United States was going on for almost half a century. However, the most impressive growth happened in 1880-1900. The expansion of the steel, iron and oil industries drove the American economy. Comment on all the inventions, technological advancements that happened in the US at that time.
• Immigrants and their ideas of the American Dream
• Social reforms during the Progressive Era
• American Foreign Policy in the 1890s

• The importance of the Progressive Era reforms
• Race relations during the Progressive Era reforms
• Japanese Americans Immigration in the 19th century

🏙️ 20th Century US History Topics

The 20th century for the United States and the world, in general, was highly eventful. Economic crises, two World Wars, the Cold War, and the fight over civil rights. Plus, a huge economic and technological upheaval, the space program.

This list of American History topics after 1900 can be great for those looking for inspiration for a paper.

Here you go:

• The door to America— Ellis Island. What are America’s best features? Economic opportunities, political and religious freedom? An abundance of jobs and opportunities? Land and natural resources? All of these made the United States experience the migration flux from all over the world. Elaborate on how Ellis island is a symbol of American immigration and the American dream.

• The rise of capitalism
• Work environments during the Progressive Era
• Women’s suffrage movement in America
• The causes and effects of women’s suffrage movement in the US
• Changes in American Government after WWI
• Is prohibition to blame for the organized crime in The United States?
• The economic impact of the Great Depression. The Great Depression is one of the longest economic downturns in the history of the United States. You can talk about several main causes of the crisis. Another good approach would be to analyze the way American presidents handled this crisis.
• Japanese American discrimination during the Great Depression
• How did Roosevelt plan to end the Great Depression?
• The Great Depression and what is the new deal?
• The Role of the United States during World War 2
• Why did the United States fight and lose the Vietnam War?
• The war in Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement
• A Comparison of the traditional and the revisionist arguments regarding the Origins of The Cold War
• The Cold War and US diplomacy
• The Cold War and how it influenced American society

History is tough, but some significant historical events take our breath away even centuries later. Here is our list of cool American history topics. Even if you don’t find any topic that works for you, it can inspire you to look for moments in history that appeal to you personally.

• The true Story of Pocahontas: An untold story of a Native American girl. The true story of Pocahontas is covered with myths. Critically examine the story of her life and death. Try to understand it from a standpoint of a 12 years old Native American girl kidnapped by a white colonizer.
• Native American tribes in the US History
• What was discussed at the Constitutional Convention?
• The history of the Statue of Liberty
• Henry Ford and how his inventions changed America
• Moon landing conspiracy
• The war on drugs in US History
• Illegal immigrants in the US
• The American sense of humor
• American pop culture in the 1920s . This time period is called “the roaring twenties.” It was filled with drastic political and cultural changes in the United States. Jazz, flapper culture, prohibition, and economic abundance are important elements of the 1920s.

• The history of gangs in the US
• What did hippies believe in?
• History of Hippie’s Culture
• Presidential assassinations in the United States History. Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and JFK were the only US Presidents murdered while in office. You don’t have to retell the stories of their deaths! Instead, explore how these assassinations triggered some vital political reforms.
• The history of the Fifth Amendment

🙌 Most Interesting American History Topics

Use the following list of most interesting US History topics for your next essay. Choose what US history interesting event or a historic figure captures your attention the most.

🧐 US History Regent Topics

• The Relationships Between Federal and State Governments
• Was there a need to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
• The Cold War: Origins, Causes, Phases, and the Results
• Why and How the Cold War Was Fought
• The US Army in the Iraq War
• The Iraq War: Background and Issues
• Why did the Iraq War go against the plan?
• Executive Orders and Presidential Power in the United States
• History of the American Constitution
• The Turning points of the American Revolution

✊ Black History Essay Topics

Studying the history of the United States without studying slavery is impossible, mainly because the issue of race is ingrained into the DNA of America.

Black African American history allows students to get a different perspective on the same events. It lets them hear the voices that are so often erased from the history books. These African American history essays can help anyone looking for a good topic to write about.

• Slave Resistance in the Eighteen Century. Continuously throughout history, African American slaves were portrayed as voiceless and victimized. Others presented them as almost indifferent and passive to their own destiny. You can examine a different perspective, an Afrocentric one. The history of slavery was not the history of passivity, it was a history of black resistance.
• African American Music as a Form of Resistance
• African American Religion and Spirituality in the United States
• The 13th Amendment and the End of Slavery
• The Jim Crow Laws in the United States History . Jim Crow Laws were the laws that enforced racial segregation in the country. Dedicate an introduction to discuss where the name “Jim Crow” comes from. Give a historical background to how the laws were used. This topic can make a strong essay because no one can stay indifferent.
• Gender and Jim Crow
• The Role of Martin Luther King, Jr in The Civil Right Movement
• Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream”
• Brown vs The Board of Education . The ruling in Brown vs. The Board of Education was one of the most fundamental changes in the US educational system. How did the general public receive the news about the desegregation of public schools? How did the American educational system change after this case?
• The Significance of the Harlem Renaissance
• Barack Obama: The First African American President
• Barack Obama’s healthcare reforms
• Has Obama’s Presidency changed America?

• The Cowboy Culture in the US
• How Did Yellow Journalism Start?
• Why is Superman the most American of all the heroes?
• The History of American Flag
• History of Sports in the United States
• History of Thanksgiving Turkey in the United States
• How Did Highways Change the United States of America?
• American History through Hollywood Film

Sometimes you simply do not have enough time to write a profound essay. These American history topics are relatively easy, and you don’t have to research them a lot. Even if you do, there is a ton of information available.

• British Colonization of the Americas
• Slavery and racism in the United States
• The Puritans Influence on the American Society
• The pilgrims and the puritans
• The Causes of the Vietnam War
• Why Was Martin Luter King Assassinated?
• American Moon Landing
• What Are Major Events in the US History?
• What Started the US History?
• What Is the Most Important Piece of the US History?
• What Is the US History Summary?
• What City Was the First Capital in the US History?
• What Was the First American State in the US History?
• What Are Some Controversies in the US History?
• How Far Was the New Deal a Turning Point in the US History up to 1941?
• How the Airplane Industry Changed US History?
• What Was President Reagan Known For in the US History?
• How Reagan’s Ideology Shaped the US History?
• Why Is the Reagan Revolution in the US History?
• How Richard Nixon Influenced the US History?
• What Vietnam War Showed About US History?
• Did the Concept of Imperialism Exist in the US History?
• Why Did the Wars in the Middle East Go Down in the US History as Unnecessary?
• What Is the Most Popular Ideology in the US History?
• How Does the US History Describe George W. Bush?
• How Did the Use of Nuclear Weapons in Japan Affect the US History?
• What Are Some Horrible and Forgotten Events in the US History?
• Is Donald Trump the Second Worst President in the US History?
• What Was the Biggest Political Miscalculation in the US History?
• Who Is the Most Overrated First Lady in the US History?
• How Well Do US History Teachers Really Know About the US History?
• Who Was the Wimpiest President in the US History?
• Who Are Some of the Great Asian Americans in the US History?
• What Was the Most Corrupt Time in the US History?
• What Was the Bloodiest Single Day Battle in the US History?
• Who Is the Greatest Hero in the US History?
• How Did King Philip’s War Change the US History?

Your citation will depend on the type of requirements your instructor will provide you with. You can ask your teacher which style of citation is preferable before the essay writing. The school itself may have specific guidelines for every typeof academic writing.

For history essays, there are two key methods of referencing both primary and secondary sources:

• In-text citation. In this method, you mention the author and the year in the body of the essay. The list of references is placed at the end of the essay.
• Footnote Referencing. In this method, you put a number in the body. It corresponds with the reference at the bottom of each page. At the end of the essay, a list of works read rather than cited should be included.

All the citation entries should be listed in alphabetical order. If you mention the same author multiple times with different works, use chronological order.

Keeping track of all the sources, both read and cited, is time-consuming. For that, students can try to use different online software systems. These systems can help arrange the list alphabetically and correctly organize all the citations.

These digital tools are worth checking out:

Thank you for reading so far! Now you’re ready to start an amazing paper on US history. Share this article with those who may find it helpful, and leave a comment below.

🔗 References

• U.S. History and Historical Documents: USAGov, the Official Guide to Government Information and Services.
• All Topics: National Museum of American History.
• TIMELINE, United States History: World Digital Library.
• How Do I Cite Sources: Plagiarism.org.
• Citing Primary Sources, Chicago: Teacher Resources, Library of Congress.
• Black History, Topical: National Archives.
• Black History Month: National Geographic Society.
• College Writing: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Writing Historical Essays, A Guide for Undergraduates: Department of History, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
• Writing an Essay Introduction: Research & Learning Online.
• Research and Citation Resources: Purdue Writing Lab, College of Liberal Art.
• Citing Your Sources, Citing Basics: Research Guides at Williams College Libraries.
• Citing Electronic Sources: Academic Integrity at MIT, a Handbok for Students.
• Generate Topic Ideas Quickly and Easily: Online Research Library Questia.
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 12). 153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/us-history-essay-topics/

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]." March 12, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/us-history-essay-topics/.

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My Speech Class

Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

434 Good Persuasive Speech Topics

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

Are you struggling to find a good persuasive speech topic ? We know – it can be hard to think of an interesting topic!

We’ve done all  the hard work and created a list of 400+ great persuasive speech ideas for college students, teachers, and anyone interested in public speaking. They’re organized into categories to make it easier for you to find one that that genuinely interests you.

In addition to our collection of speech topic ideas, we also have some tips on selecting a  good topic, as well as researchihng, writing, and delivering your persuasive speech.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Speech Topic?

Crafting a persuasive speech or writing a persuasive essay begins with picking the right topic. What makes a good persuasive speech topic? What are the most important factors that make it or break it when it comes to a good persuasive speech topic?

You are much more likely to be successful with your speech when you choose a topic that interests you, rather than merely picking one from a list.

Talking about something you know or would like to know more about well makes it much easier and fun!

Can We Write Your Speech?

Get your audience blown away with help from a professional speechwriter. Free proofreading and copy-editing included.

Some speech topics have been done to death. They are tired and stale, and are not likely to excite you or your audience (think abortion, gun control, smoking, same-sex marriage). Find a topic that grabs you and your audience, something new and fresh, unique and original.

• Interesting

A good persuasive speech topic is one that you can use to grab the audience’s attention, inform and persuade, and provide a strong persuasive argument for adopting your point of view.

You want to pick a topic that your audience cares and what to hear about.

How To Select a Good Persuasive Topic

How to narrow down this list of ideas?

First, make a rough inventory:

• Which of the speech topics are you interested in?
• What amuses you, makes you move right the way, happy or sad?
• Which topics do you know something about?
• Which topics would you like to research?

Review your inventory list and narrow your choices by answering these questions:

• Do you know global, national, state, community, job or school-related problems and solutions, issues or controversies, related to the persuasive speech ideas?
• Are you excited about any historical or current events, places, processes, organizations or interesting people?
• Do you have certain concerns, opinions, or beliefs?
• Do you think something has to change in the human attitude or social values?
• Did you see or hear something in the news or read about in library books on any of these topics?
• Is there a link with personal experiences, professional or personal goals?

All the answers on the questions above help you to find your angle of approach for a conclusive speech. So, select a few specific angles. Those can serve as the basic main points.

Best 10 Persuasive Speech Topics

Don’t have time to read our full list of 400+ topic ideas? Here is our list of 10 best persuasive speech topics.

• Money can’t buy love or happiness
• Cooking should be taught in schools
• The minimum wage should be increased
• Advertising is a mind game
• Introverts make great leaders
• Eating meat is unethical
• Anyone under 16 should not be allowed to date
• Sustainable clothes are not really sustainable
• The penny coin should be phased out

List of Persuasive Speech Topics

• Constitutional Issues
• Easy and Simple
• Environment
• Food and Drink
• Funny and Humorous
• College Students
• International Relations
• Motivational
• National Security
• Practical Knowledge
• Relationships

10 Animal Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should more pets be adopted than bought from a breeder?
• Are pitbulls a vicious breed?
• Should a dog that has bitten somebody be executed?
• Should we tame wild animals like lions and sharks.
• Should battery farming still be legal?
• Should ‘factory farming’ be banned?
• Adopting pets is the best choice.
• How do puppy mills affect us?
• The benefits of having pets.
• Why cats make the perfect pet.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics About Animals .

12 Automotive Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should the public first learn how to drive a manual transmission before obtaining their license?
• Drivers should have to take three courses before getting a license.
• Should young children use booster seats in vehicles?
• Hands-free cell phone use in cars should be promoted.
• Should the driving age be 14?
• The danger of texting and driving.
• Watch out for animals when driving.
• Why police should not chase a car.
• Why you should buy a Japanese car.
• Why sports cars are dangerous.
• Driving tests should be free.
• Share the road with bikes.

10 Business Persuasive Speech Topics

The world of business has so many aspects to it, but at the end of the day they are all about customer relations, about making money and about the relationship between employers and employees.

Below are topics that can be used to persuade your audience on a variety of business topics.

A tongue in cheek topic that can be used is “Hiring a lazy person isn’t always a bad thing”, this could be used to persuade an audience that often lazy people find the quickest solution to get something done, resulting in quickly completed work because they just want to get it over and done with.

• Advertising has tons of mind games.
• Advertising standards should be higher.
• The importance of understanding niche marketing.
• Why introverts make good leaders.
• Owning a business means you will lose your friends.
• Business will harden you.
• You should never go into business with family members.
• Just because someone knows you it doesn’t mean you owe them any discounts.
• To be a business owner you must learn to be well organized.
• It’s important that a business should have personality.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Speech Topics for Business .

5 Constitutional Issues Persuasive Speech Topics

• Do you think it would be fair for the government to detain suspected terrorists without proper trial?
• Should flag burning as a form of protest be prohibited?
• Should every day begin with a silent prayer at school?
• Why alcohol should be illegal.
• Prayer in schools should not be mandatory.

10 Easy and Simple Persuasive Speech Topics

Below follow topics that should be easy enough to persuade your audience without going into too much research. There are some which can be used as ‘tongue in cheek’ topics such as ‘The paparazzi are the real stalkers’ and ‘People need to visit the dentist more often’.

• People should not text while driving.
• Celebrities who break the law should receive stiffer penalties.
• Teachers should pass a basic exam every few years to renew their certification.
• Cities should offer free bike-sharing programs.
• People should eat less junk food.
• We should do more to end poverty and world hunger.
• We should value the elders in our society and learn from their wisdom.
• Money can’t buy love or happiness.
• Children should be offered incentives for doing right, rather than punishment for wrongdoing.
• More recycling should be encouraged.

See this page for a full list of Easy and Simple Persuasive Speech Topics .

9 Economy Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should products manufactured outside the U.S. come with an additional tax?
• Buy products that are made in the USA.
• Free trade agreements are bad for workers.
• The trade deficit with China is dangerous.
• The minimum wage should be increased.
• Daylight savings time has many advantages for our economy.
• The oil companies are to blame for the rising energy prices.
• In most countries the economy is in the mighty hands of just a few multinational corporations.
• Hiring cheaper foreign employees hurts our economy.

10 Education Persuasive Speech Topics

• Teachers should have to pass a test of basic skills every decade to renew their certifications.
• Should free college tuition be offered to poor children?
• Would it be better to introduce a set of skills tests for students, before they graduate high school?
• Do you believe that students who are responsible for cyberbullying should be expelled from school?
• Would it be better if high school students completed community service hours to graduate?
• Do you think elementary and high school students should be allowed to use cell phones at school?
• Should students have to be on the honor roll in order to play sports?
• Art and music programs in public schools are an essential part of education.
• Schools should have the right to search students’ personal property (backpacks, lockers, pockets) to fight drugs in schools.
• Do you think students should be allowed to listen to music during study hall?

See this page for a full list of Education Persuasive Speech Topics .

10 Environment Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should there be stricter laws for protecting endangered species?
• Should only native plants be grown in gardens?
• More people should carpool or use public transportation.
• Should the U.S. limit the use of natural resources?
• How pollution is negatively affecting humanity.
• We should use algae to make oil instead of drilling.
• Why hydraulic fracturing should be banned.
• Why we shouldn’t use disposable diapers.
• Hybrid cars are good for the environment.
• We should keep our community clean.

See this page for a full list of Environmental Persuasive Speech Topics .

10 Ethics Persuasive Speech Topics

• Do you think female construction workers should have the same salary as male construction workers?
• Should assisted suicide be legal for people who suffer from terminal illnesses?
• Do you think the death penalty is the best punishment for dangerous criminals?
• Should you base your perspective of people on stereotypes you have heard?
• Should product testing on animals or humans be allowed?
• Why you should not choose your child’s genetics.
• Are people morally obligated to help the poor?
• Female genital mutilation should be stopped.
• Is it ethical to eat meat?
• Wearing fur is unethical.

10 Family Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should underaged people be allowed to consume alcohol at home, with parental permission?
• Should children 13 or younger be allowed to watch music videos or music channels like MTV?
• Do you think those older than 13 should be allowed into R-rated movies?
• Should teenagers be allowed to purchase violent video games?
• Is it appropriate for children to watch horror movies?
• Those under 16 should not be allowed to date.
• Parental pressure on child actors and athletes is harmful.
• Why parents should not hit their children.
• Fairy tales are good for young children.
• Why kids should not play R rated games.

See this page for a full list of Family Persuasive Speech Topics . We also have a page with Speech Topics for Kids .

6 Fashion Persuasive Speech Topics

• Men should wear pink.
• Choose an Eco-Fashion Fabrics Wardrobe!
• Are Sustainable Clothes Really Sustainable?
• Jewelry: Less Is More.
• Fashion Reveals Your True Identity.
• Fashion Is An Expression Of The Character

11 Financial Persuasive Speech Topics

• Why banks should ban hats and sunglasses to avoid robberies.
• Student loans should be forgiven.
• Reservation casinos are only beneficial if managed correctly.
• National debt is everyones problem.
• Purchasing a car is smarter than leasing one.
• The Japanese yen is affected by the weakness of the dollar.
• The Euro currency will oust the dollar.
• The Chinese Yuan / Japanese Yen / European Euro will all surpass the Dollar as leading currency.
• Phase the penny coin out.
• Severe budget cuts are the only way to maximise good financial results.
• Keeping a close eye on personal finance is key in achieving something in life.

15 Food and Drink Persuasive Speech Topics

• Genetically modified foods should be labeled.
• Do you believe companies who manufacture alcohol should be allowed to advertise on TV?
• Every child should learn to cook.
• Cooking should be taught in schools.
• Should we donate unused food from supermarkets?
• The history of added sugar in our food.
• We should all grow our own vegetables.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• The promise of genetically engineered food.
• Why peanuts are amazing.
• Drink more orange juice.
• Why people should cook.
• Farmers’ markets should be increased.
• Eating organic is good for your health.
• Get artificial hormones out of food.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topic Ideas On Food, Drink, and Cooking .

10 Fun Persuasive Speech Topics

Fun topics are a great way to get people to listen to what you have to say, because when they are entertained they listen more carefully. Fun topics also help the speaker be more at ease, because the topics are more relaxed. Below follow 100 topics that you can have fun with while persuading your audience. .

• Ghosts are not real.
• We all need to be childish.
• Smokers have more acquaintances.
• Music has the power to heal.
• Diamonds are a girls best friends.
• Couples need to live together before getting married.
• Allow kids to believe in Santa.
• Pick up lines do work.
• Cake is not cake if it is dry.
• Parents must be prepared for the ‘birds and bees’ talk.

See this page for a full list of Fun Persuasive Speech Topics .

10 Funny and Humorous Persuasive Speech Topics

Humour is a fabulous way to get people’s attention. Below are questions and statement topics that can be used to get your points across on a variety of topics.

It is important to remember that there can be a fine line between funny and insulting. So use wit and make it fun without insulting your audience. This would be important to remember with a title like ‘The most dangerous animal out there is a silent woman’.

• Blondes are not as dumb as they look.
• Why funny pick-up lines work.
• Guys gossip more than girls do.
• You should not be Facebook friends with your mom.
• If things go wrong, your horoscope is to blame.
• Students should not have to do a persuasive speech in front of a large audience.
• Millennials should stop wearing spandex yoga pants all the time.
• Dads are more fun than moms.
• Argumentative essays are pointless.
• Shoes that don’t fit right are hazardous to your health.

See this page for a full list of Funny Persuasive Speech Topics .

16 Government Persuasive Speech Topics

• Do you believe there should be stricter federal restrictions regarding content on the internet?
• Should employers be required to post job opportunities on a government-run website?
• The government should provide shelter for the homeless.
• Should the state fund schools run by religions?
• Whose face should be printed on the newest bank note?
• Do you believe Puerto Rico should become a state?
• Our nation’s justice system needs to be improved.
• Should the government have a say in our diets?
• The military budget must be decreased.
• Should people get drug tested for state aid?
• How policy works in local government.
• The government should increase funding of Amtrak.
• Fixing potholes should be a priority of local government.
• Eminent domain should be used rarely.
• The war on drugs is a failure.
• Zoning laws should be common sense.

10 Health Persuasive Speech Topics

• Female minors should be allowed to get birth control without telling their parents.
• Should stem cell researchers be able to use cells from aborted babies to help cure diseases?
• Should doctors be allowed to prescribe contraception for girls under 16?
• Do you think it would be better if the USA had a universal health care system?
• Do you believe free condoms should be distributed in schools?
• Regular exercise will improve your health.
• Restaurants should post all ingredients to prevent allergic reactions.
• Do you believe fast food should come with a warning label?
• The use of animals in medical research is a necessary evil.
• Seat belts ensure all passengers a safer ride.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Speech Topics on Health and Fitness . We also have a page with Medical Topics .

10 School Persuasive Speech Topics

School is a whole new world, where students discover more about themselves and life around them. These are topics that students will most likely have to deal with at some point during their elementary, middle, and high school careers.

• High school students should be allowed to have cell phones in school.
• High school students should not have to wear school uniforms.
• All high school students should learn a foreign language.
• Girls should be allowed to play on the boys’ sports teams.
• High school students should be required to do community service.
• Extracurricular activities are important for your future.
• Students should be able to stay up late, even on school nights.
• Peer pressure helps students grow as individuals.
• Students should have healthy food options.
• Students should be paid for getting good grades.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Speech Topics for School Students .

10 College Students Persuasive Speech Topics

The following topics are for college students and about the many different aspects that they will deal with during their time in college.

• College textbooks should be replaced by iPads.
• Mobile phones should be switched off during a lecture.
• College students shouldn’t skip classes.
• Students shouldn’t study something that they are not passionate about.
• Gap years are actually a very good idea.
• Notes should always be taken in class.
• Student loans are expensive and students need to understand what they are getting themselves into.
• Students should get to know other students.
• It’s smart to get the harder classes out of the way first.
• Taking summer classes will help students get ahead of schedule.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students .

10 Teens Persuasive Speech Topics

The following topics are aimed at teens and subjects which are important and matter to teens.

• Teenage girls should be on birth control.
• Teenage boys are lazier than girls.
• Teens should have weekend jobs.
• Homework should not be given.
• Being popular isn’t a good thing.
• Teens are obsessed with scary things.
• Chores shouldn’t be paid for.
• Sex education must be compulsory.
• Exchange student programs for all students.
• Free time gets teens into trouble.

See this page for a full list of Great Speech Topics for Teens .

5 History Persuasive Speech Topics

• Did the U.S. Army provide their soldiers drugs during the Vietnam war?
• African- American achievements should be celebrated.
• Why Lincoln was the best President.
• Revisionist history is dangerous.
• The moon landing was a lie.

See this page for a full list of History Speech Topics .

10 Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics

Interesting topics will always have an audience glued to every word, even when they may disagree with your point of view. Ultimately it is your job to persuade them that your view is in fact correct.

These topics have a mix of simpler speeches such as “Pick up lines do work” here both humour and a few examples of pick up lines have worked will get you going in the right direction. For a speech with a bit more research put into it there are topics such as “Stem cell research in murder”.

• The standards of beauty are never the same.
• Princess Diana was killed.
• Energy drinks are dangerous.
• School day needs to involve less sitting and more exercise.
• No credit cards for under 25.
• Healthy relationships require conflicts.
• Everyone needs medical insurance.
• Tooth whitening is out of control.
• In future air planes won’t crash.
• Business should hire more apprentices.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Interesting Speech Topics .

13 International Relations Persuasive Speech Topics

• Do you think it is time for the United States to suspend overseas military operations?
• The U.S. should cut off all foreign aid to dictatorships.
• Why you should volunteer in a developing country.
• Should Scotland be a country of its own?
• China will be the next superpower.
• Is any nation truly independent?
• Should women drive in Saudi Arabia?
• Foreign oil dependence is dangerous.
• Weapons disarmament should be increased.
• The war in Iraq was a mistake.
• The United Nations is important in defusing international crises.
• Human rights should be advanced all over the world.
• China will be the almighty economic superpower by 2025.

10 Law Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should those who are caught driving after consuming alcohol lose their driver’s license for one year?
• Should it be illegal to drive while talking on the phone?
• Should illegal music and movie downloads be prosecuted?
• Do you believe illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for a driver’s license?
• Should motorcyclists have to wear a helmet?
• People over 65 should be required to take a bi-annual driver’s test.
• Should the driving age be raised to 21?
• Should assault weapons be legal?
• Should known gang members be prohibited from public parks?
• Do you think it should be illegal for people to curse on TV during daytime?

See this page for a full list of Legal Speech Topics .

3 Literature Persuasive Speech Topics

• Why reading is more beneficial than watching television.
• Why it is a good idea to read Fifty Shades of Grey.
• Why people need to read more books.

17 Media Persuasive Speech Topics

• Why it’s wrong for the media to promote a certain beauty standard.
• Is the media responsible for the moral degradation of teens?
• Do magazines marketed to teenagers send the wrong message?
• Why Disney should not be making Star Wars movies.
• Why you should study photography.
• Should certain T.V. shows have age restrictions?
• Why the media is to blame for eating disorders.
• The media does not force us to worship false icons.
• Why the Russian should have beat Rocky.
• Television is harmful to children.
• Why comic books are good to read.
• Some TV shows are educational.
• Make TV more educational.
• We need more funding for public television and radio.
• Violence on television should be regulated.
• Cable TV monopolies destroy competition.
• Katniss Everdeen would alienate Harry Potter.

10 Motivational Persuasive Speech Topics

• School leaders must shape high-achieving learning curricula for students.
• Set a clear goal and devote all your positive energy toward reaching it.
• What to do for people who have no motivation to live a happy life.
• The art of moral imagination is the key to intellectual and spiritual development.
• Why it is hard to follow your dream.
• What keep most of us from following the voice of your heart when it comes to love or even discovery travelling?
• Overcome your stage fright and fear of public speaking.
• Begin with forming a moral tool set when children are young and build further when they are at least 18 years old.
• Aim straightforward in whatever project you undertake, and emphasize and evaluate what you want to achieve often in between the completed parts of the total planning.
• Prudence is an effort you can turn non-believers into believers in your plans.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics For Motivational Speaking .

6 Music Persuasive Speech Topics

• Why the French horn should be played more.
• Should schools allow uncensored songs at school dances?
• How listening to music could improve your day.
• Why music is beneficial to society.
• MP3 music should be free.
• Rock music is better than Country & Western.

6 National Security Persuasive Speech Topics

• Are intensive security screenings essential for those who travel in airplanes?
• Negotiating with terrorists is sometimes justifiable.
• Should police carry firearms?
• Homosexuals belong in the military.
• Women benefit the military in many ways.
• Should police carry toy guns?

10 Politics Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should it be legal for politicians to accept campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists?
• Why you should vote.
• Ban abusive language in elections.
• Why you should know Bernie Sanders.
• Term limits need to be respected.
• Give Kurdistan back to the Kurds.
• Zimbabwe is the next drama in world politics.
• Central Asian states could become a threat.
• America is not the world’s policeman.
• Globalization pays off.

See this page for a full list of Speech Topics about Politics .

3 Practical Knowledge Persuasive Speech Topics

• Basic survival skills are important to know.
• Basic camping skills everyone should know.
• Personal hygiene is important for professional success.

7 Psychology Persuasive Speech Topics

• Intelligence depends more on the environment than genetics.
• Human development depends primarily on environmental factors.
• Why we should not see psychologists.
• Why do we need to love and to be loved?
• Can money give you happiness?
• Why introverts make the best public speakers.
• Verbal abuse can be much more destructive than physical.

See this page for a full list of Psychology Speech Topics .

23 Relationships Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should young people have internet relationships?
• Men and women speak a different language of love.
• Long distance relationships are possible.
• Why it is important to live together before marriage.
• Teens should live with their friends once a week.
• Jealousy can be a disease.
• Most people say they will break up with a cheating partner, but in the end most people do not.
• Counseling is the solution for working through relationship problems.
• Intimacy is the key to a successful relationship.
• Women cheat more than men do.
• Interreligious Relationships – Love between two people can never be forbidden.
• Arranged marriages must be outlawed.
• Asking someone to wear a condom shows a lack of trust.
• Celibacy is outdated.
• Cheating isn’t wrong if you do it well.
• Co-workers should never date.
• Dating behavior rules are simple for girls: No means No, not Yes.
• Living together before marriage will lower the divorce rate.
• Men and women speak different languages in love matters.
• People only need one good friend.
• Polygamy should be allowed.
• You will learn most from friends that are different from you.
• Romance works best the old fashioned way.

8 Religion Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should public schools teach world religions?
• Students should be allowed to pray in school.
• Women should be priests.
• Religious conflict must be avoided.
• Why Islam is a peaceful religion.
• Islamic fundamentalism is not true Islam.
• Religious cults are dangerous.
• Faith in God should be protected.

See this page for a full list of Topics on Religion and Spirituality .

10 Science Persuasive Speech Topics

• Do you think the United States government should spend more on space programs?
• Why should we be aware of what is happening in outer space?
• Why Pluto should still be considered a planet.
• Mars was the same as Earth in the past.
• Why you should donate your body to science.
• We need more scientific advancements.
• Qualitative research is more preferable than quantitative research.
• Religion and science do not mix. (Or: they do.)
• Scientists have the duty to translate their findings in normal language.
• Theories are useless if they can not be transformed into strategies.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Science Speech Topics .

11 Self-Help Persuasive Speech Topics

• Art is a stress reliever and can reduce depression.
• With hardwork and determination anyone can be successful.
• Why we should live life spontaneously.
• Improve your time management.
• Embarrassing moments make you stronger.
• Be true to yourself.
• Dress for success.
• How to continue your personal growth.
• The importance of self- confidence.
• If you don’t give up, you’ll make it.
• Talking to yourself can be beneficial.

10 Society Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should larger passengers be obliged to purchase two plane tickets, or two movie tickets?
• Should American families have no more than two children, in order to control population growth?
• Should property owners be obliged to clean the snow from sidewalks on their property?
• Should there be a cop in every bar to make sure people do not drink and drive?
• Do you believe that older people should receive free bus rides?
• Should all citizens of the USA complete one year of community service?
• Do you believe it is time for America to use the metric system?
• Why it should be mandatory for all students to stand for the pledge.
• Do you believe that cities should provide free wireless internet?
• Why living in the country is better than the city.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Society Speech Topics .

10 Sport Persuasive Speech Topics

Some sports topics can quickly turn into an argument between fans so keep in mind that special care should be taken with some of the suggested topics.

The term soccer was used to distinguished between soccer and American football, feel free to use the term football for those countries that do not use the term soccer.

• Should some musical groups, such as marching band and show choir, be considered a sport?
• Do you think cities should have a bike sharing system?
• Should college athletes be paid?
• Why baseball players should take drug tests before playing.
• High school football programs should receive less funding.
• Female sports should be given equal coverage by the media.
• Should drug tests be mandatory for professional athletes?
• Should athletes be paid less?
• Should drug tests be mandatory for school athletes?
• Winning is not as important as trying your best.

See this page for a full list of Persuasive Sports Speech Topics .

28 Technology Persuasive Speech Topics

• Google and other search engines will be the death of libraries.
• Make sure to backup your computer files several times a day.
• What kind of influence will technology have on our future?
• Printing photos is better than keeping them on a computer.
• Do you believe internet censorship is inappropriate?
• Should nuclear power be used?
• How technology will change our lives.
• Internet could do more to free deaf people from their social isolation.
• Should screen time also be limited for adults?
• Why the government should regulate technology.
• Technology is making people less creative.
• Technology has made life better.
• Why Microsoft Word products should be free.
• Why you should not buy an iPhone.
• Anti-piracy software does not work.
• Internet chatrooms are not safe.
• The amount of spam you see in your mailbox is just the tip of the iceberg.
• We are addicted to the internet.
• Put down your phone and connect with people.
• Electronics are making kids lazy.
• How does a search engine work?
• Apple music should be free.
• The importance of the internet.
• Internet gambling needs more regulation.
• Computer literacy should be increased.
• The importance of internet fraud awareness.
• Why selfies are a thing of the past.
• People who say they do not need or want to use the world wide web are insane.

12 Travel Persuasive Speech Topics

• Why you should go to Bermuda.
• Why airline tickets should be cheaper.
• Traveling makes you more open-minded.
• Always report travel complaints as soon as possible when back home.
• Backpacking means every day unexpected adventures if you are open for it
• If there was no tourism there would be much more poverty.
• Support eco-tourism.
• Tourism ruins historical sites and there should be placed warning signs to awake them.
• Extreme air turbulence can be fatal.
• Fly First Class at least once in your lifetime.
• The best way to travel is in a guided group.
• Antarctica should be closed for tourists and scientists

8 Workplace Persuasive Speech Topics

• Should large corporations hire a number of minorities that are proportionate to the population?
• Do you think 14 year olds should be allowed to hold jobs?
• Why you should choose a high paying job over a fun job.
• Why everyone should work retail once in their life.
• Tipping should be mandatory in restaurants.
• Women make better managers than men.
• The importance of office parties.
• Labor unions should be protected.

Our list of topics is by far the best list you will find online – both in terms of quantity and quality. We add and remove ideas weekly to keep the list up-to-date.

Many timely persuasive speech topics can be found on radio, TV, your local newspaper, or your Facebook and Twitter feeds. We also have Argumentative (which is a type of persuasive speech on a controversial issue) and Policy topics . If you know of a cool topic, please send it to us and we will publish it on our page with fresh topics.

For persuasive essay topic ideas have a look at our list of Interesting Research Paper topics : these can be easily adapted for persuasive speeches.

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Vote of Thanks Examples

50 thoughts on “434 Good Persuasive Speech Topics”

Thank You! 🙂 Very helpful and inspiring and you get a good laugh out of these topics, wish me luck on my test.

That was some awesome topics for my college presentation thanks for the help 🙂

Thank you so much i got a 82 on my speech! I talked about how women don’t have rights, and that they should be in the kitchen. Thank you again!!!

These topics are good I like give speech. Speech good for speaking. thank for topics

Why smoking can help you make friends

These topic are good. Thank you so much..

Really helpful, I pro-formed a speech outlining why exactly unfaithful thots should be be vanquished from our society. Got a 69.

Thanks so much! I did a speech on the unfaithful thots of our society and the plague being wrought upon the population. We need a solution. Some might say a final, solution.

These topics are great. Thank you

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Thankkkk youuuuuuuuuuuuu sooooo much these topics are amazing and thank you for saving my life my speech was why airlines should be cheeper and i got a 99

Great topics but there is no R rating for video games. (Family, Topic 10)

Thank you so much this was really helpful!!!!

these are good topics because im in 5th grade in my class right now and we are starting pursasive right now

Why sex education important

Are pitbulls a vicious breed

Germany is the best

Does Lightning McQueen have Life Insurance or Car Insurance ?

Correction: why cats make the purrfect pet.

thank you this is a very helpful and inspiring topics

These were good and helpful. This was exactly what I needed for my speech. Thanks to whoever came up with all of these.

Thank you so much. My speech on getting Belle Delphine banned got 69%

Thank you so much, this was inspiring and helpful.

ok, so I know im the only one that did this but its actually 414 speech topics so!!!!!11

This was v helpful- thank you! i did that Princess Diana was murdered and was very easy to be passionate about it – thx again!

very nice. help alot.me like moon landing one. thought was funny.

i love ThiS website SO MUCH it helped me with my speech endlessly and will be forever greatful xxx <3 <3

Why water causes cancer

Why Sped kids should have more special attention in schools?

-Tax the freaking pants off the 1%

-Only highly education education specialists should make laws regarding education

-Schools should implement standards that require more recess and P.E. and no homework

did a speach on koalas being nuclearly reactive thx sm

please tell kate to stop trying to help with my academics in writing thanks xx

Should kids be allowed to kick their parents out of the house when they get caught doing bad things

cheating isnt wrong if you do it well

i personally think that this website helped a lot i think you should add a kpop section just for who is interester ^0^ thank you 🙂

I made a speech explaining why toothbrushing should be mandatory and it got a 69

thanks so much i got a 69 on my speech about free robux

thanks bro i got a 69% on my speech about how i would eat henrique all night

Couldn’t find a topic but site was amazing! Henrique on the other hand

thanks got me a 100

Those were so helpful wish me luck on my test

henrique is kind of annoying but a good website

i’m thinking a speech on the flash sounds perfect.

Thank youuu so muchhh!!!!!! This was so helpful and rly helped me find new perspectives to look from. I wrote my speech on how men are animals, have no rights, and should be locked in mines and milked for their semen. I also found out im pregnant guys!!!! Time to find out if it’s a girl or an abortion!!!!!

I got the best speech topic.thank goodness.I only got an hour to finish.

why can’t we make toast in the bath

Why teens shouldn’t have sex before marriage.

I laughed so hard at “students should not have to do a persuasive speech in front of public audiences”

is this the real life, or is it just a fantasy?

this site was so good i found nothing! thank goodness i got a 0% my grades are rising

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Interesting speech topics for students

180 unique speech topic ideas from 5 broad areas

By:  Susan Dugdale  | Last modified: 09-07-2022

What are the most interesting and unique speech topics for students? Or for yourself? How, and where do you find them?

Let's answer those questions, and more.

On this page you'll find:

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So what are the best GOOD original speech ideas?

3 essential elements of interesting speeches.

Interesting speech topics become that way because they fulfill three essential requirements:

• your personal enthusiasm for the subject, (You love the topic and want to find out more about it.),
• the subject's appeal or relevance to your audience, and,
• the twist, angle, or perspective you bring to it.

If the subject you choose ticks off all three your speech is much more likely to be interesting for yourself and everybody listening.

Put your spin on these interesting speech topics

The five topic areas below are broad. I have suggested some potentially good speech ideas in each of them. You'll find those under the area's introductory overview.

Use my suggestions as a beginning point: a trigger to get  your own creative juices going. With luck you'll find exactly the topic you need to inspire you. (I sincerely hope so!)

Social media themed topics

Online social media like Facebook (recently re-branded as Meta Platforms), Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Tik Tok have been with us a comparatively short time. Yet their growth has been astronomical!

Facebook, the first of them, made its public debut in 2004, 17 years ago, and according to its Wikipedia page , has 2.85 billion monthly active users, as of 31 March 2021 .  Its use as a vehicle to reach people all over the world is extraordinary. The power and influence Facebook users have been able to exert is unparalleled. As a society we've never seen this before.

Twitter, Pinterest,  Instagram,  Whatsapp and Tik Tok although newer players share, to a lesser degree, similar capacities.

Older electronic media, TV and radio, couldn't reach into the personal private lives in the same intimate one to one, person to person way. Neither could print.

What do these changes mean for society?  What will happen to old-fashioned face-to-face communication skills?

Look over these topics carefully. What aspects of them you'd find interesting to explore?

Our increasing reliance on varying forms of online communication is new and our scientists, psychologists, and doctors are only beginning to understand its impact on our behavior.

50 interesting social media speech topics

• Social media kills face to face conversation skills.
• Texting is necessary for social survival.
• An online friend can be just as real as an offline one.
• Social media breaks down real-time relationships.
• How did people build and maintain networks BEFORE  social media?
• What is the real value of social media? Three points.
• How to avoid being cyber bullied.
• Rules for forming online friendships.
• Spelling skills are dead. Long live txt speak!
• What will be the next major social media development?
• Rules for using social media responsibly.
• Publicly "liking" or "not liking" a person's posts can cause anxiety.
• What is real news and what is false? How do you know?
• Three excellent community building uses of social media.
• Social media is addictive.
• Social media encourages and supports racialism.
• Social media companies are not responsible for how people use them.
• Social media dissolves social, economic and cultural barriers.
• How private is personal information on social media?
• Fake personas and social media.
• There is not enough fact checking on social media.
• It is too easy to post without thinking on social media.
• There is too much content on social media. It overwhelms.
• What is the impact of social media on business?
• Having an opinion does not make a person an expert.
• Social media makes it easy to help someone immediately.
• Social media brings people with similar interests together.
• Social media encourages the need for instant gratification.
• Some social media challenges should never be accepted.
• There should be an user age limit on social media platforms.
• Getting news from social media is unreliable.
• Censorship is impossible on social media.
• How do politicians use social media?
• What is a social media echo chamber?
• How can social media undermine democracy?
• Social media can be, and is, used for mass surveillance.
• Social media can be a time waster.
• Social media makes people dissatisfied with their lives.
• The rise of cancel culture: what it is, how it works.
• Why people share things they shouldn't.
• How using emoticons is replacing using words.
• How social media is used in hiring and firing people.
• How social media stunts personal creativity.
• How social media allows a person to find their voice.
• Using social media improves fine motor skills.
• How social media is used in peer-support programs.
• Should social media companies be held accountable? 
• What is the impact of not being social media?
• How to become an influencer.
• Outline the main differences between two or three social media platforms.

Visiting yesterday: historical speech topics

The importance of history is frequently debated. Those against digging around in their own or anybody else's past often use the saying "Life is best lived looking forward" to explain their stance.

What they want to avoid is becoming stuck in history, bogged down by old traditions or beliefs that inhibit a person in some way. "That was then, this is now", they say.

Crimes against humanity: ethnic cleansing, genocide, state sanctioned terrorism, racial discrimination, and religious persecution are all examples of attitudes and events people often want to leave in the past.

The main reason for that is because untangling them, acknowledging and accepting responsibility where required, and finding an equitable way to move forward can be exceedingly difficult for all concerned.

And yet, if we don't examine and learn from the past, surely we'll do similar things over and over again.

Those who believe that understanding and knowing our history is important say, to use the words of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, that "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

They argue that to know who we are, what we are doing, where we are going, and how our actions may impact on other people, other communities, countries, or the world, we need to thoroughly understand our past. That means looking carefully at the lives and times of our ancestors. 

I believe understanding our "yesterdays" helps us build better "todays" - richer futures for everyone. 

Attitudes change and as they do, so too does what society accepts as "normal". 

A brief shorts story

To illustrate here's a simple and these days, non-controversial example.

Something as ordinary as a woman wearing shorts was quite extraordinary in the 1940s and 50s. Women who wore them were considered fast: very unladylike.

And some American city councils actually went so far as to ban women from wearing them in public.

The  United States Golf Association went further. They decreed neither men nor women could wear them while participating in tournaments: a rule that remained until the 1980s.

(In my family, my  Grandmother was forbidden to leave the house in them.)

Can you imagine what life would be like for women if we'd held on to that? 

Today we have moved on. A woman wearing a pair of shorts is no longer a disgrace or committing a crime. *

(Click this National Public Radio link  When wearing shorts was taboo  to find out more. It's a fascinating peek into the past.)

* I am fortunate to live in a country where women are free to wear what they choose. However there are many places in the world where they are not.

This 2020 study from Washington Pew Research Center is interesting reading:  Women in many countries face harassment for clothing deemed too religious – or too secular .

Family focused and community speech topics

The topics here are focused around the history of family and community life.

Dive into them and you may just find them compelling - really interesting. They'll give you new insights and maybe, an appreciation, of what went before, and what you have now. 

45 interesting historical speech topics

• What Grandma/Grandpa did for fun and recreation 50 years ago.
• What Grandma/Grandpa did to earn a living when they finished their schooling.
• At the same age as I am now my parents were doing XXX and my grandparents were doing XXX (compare and contrast across 3 generations).
• Were there differences between education for boys and for girls 50 + years ago? If so, what were they? 
• Our town's history - why it was built where it is, who lived there.
• What type of jobs did men and women typically do 50+ years ago?
• The biggest manmade or natural disaster in our local history.
• Headline stories from our local newspapers 50+ years ago.
• How festivals and important events (birthdays, weddings, Christmas, Easter...) were celebrated in my family many years ago.
• Food fads or food fashions - how have they changed over the years? TV dinner anyone? What about a smoothie?
• Prepare a typical 1950s desert as a demonstration speech.
• How has food preparation changed over the last 25 years? Over the last 100 years?
• Check out the family photographs. How has clothing changed through the years? For babies? For girls? For boys? For adults?
• Ask your grandparents about what household chores they did on a regular basis. How does that compare with what you do?
• Did your grandparents get an allowance? If so, how much was it, and what did they do with it?
• What are differences between the house or apartment that your grandparents grew up in and the one you live in?
• What household items held pride of place 50+ years ago?  
• The history of my first and last name - where it came from, what it means and how it's changed over the years.
• A walk through a typical 1950s/1960s/1970s school day. Were they really "the best days of our lives"?
• How has classroom discipline changed over the last 100 years?
• How have the subjects taught in schools changed over the last 50+ years?
• What school activities and sports were common 50+ years ago? 
• Word fashion (the current slang) - what's in, what's out. Examples from bygone eras and present day.
• The origin of local place names - how places get their names, why they stick, or change.
• What jobs are no longer needed in your area because of modern technology?
• How has going shopping changed over the last 3 decades?
• Have attitudes around money and possessions changed over the last 50 + years in your community?  
• How did the area you live in cope with the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic? How does that compare with the current Covid Pandemic?
• What is the predominant cultural background of the community you live in?
• What languages are part of the linguistic history of your area? In what ways are they seen and heard today?
• What traditions have been passed down the generations in your family or community?
• What service organizations were active in the community 50 + years ago? What did they do? How did they help?
• What religions were practiced in your community 50 + years ago?  Has that changed? How?
• What were attitudes in your community towards people who were seen as 'different' 50 + years ago?
• What were the most common ways of meeting new people and socializing 50 + years ago in your community?
• Tell the history of an local historic building or monument. 
• What was the latest music 20/50/100 years ago?
• What were the biggest social issues 50 + years ago in your area? Have things changed?
• How have historical events directly affected your family and community?
• What were the commonest methods of transport 50 + years ago in the area. What changes have there been?
• Tell the story of a local character or hero.
• What were the major natural features of the landscape in your area before towns and cities were built?
• What were the native animals, birds, trees and other plants in the area  a long time ago? Has that changed? 
• How have people changed the local natural landscape? For better? Or for worse? 
• This day in history - a slice of major events from around the world for the date you are giving your speech.

Just plain weird: unusual speech topics

Things, natural or man-made, are often labeled weird or strange because we have never seen, considered or experienced them before. These "new" things become objects of fascination triggering responses varying from awe to disgust. Either way, "good" or "bad" weird jolts a person out their accepted ordinary/normal world, challenging them to consider something different.

Weird things, old and new, can be really interesting and stimulating!

61 weird speech topic suggestions

Quirky clothing/body adornment fashions : some very old, some much newer!

Show and tell the story behind:

• powdered wigs - why men and women wore them
• bustles - Why did women wear especially shaped padding ( bustles ) to hold out their skirts at the back?
• crinolines - Why would a woman want to wear a steel-hooped cage under her dress?
• panniers - Why did women in the 18th century broaden their skirts at the sides with panniers? 
• chopines - The first platform shoes, popular in 16th & 17th century. Were they worn to avoid the dirt in the streets or for prestige?
• lotus shoes - tiny jeweled slippers to fit the bound feet of Chinese women. Find out more: The consequence of foot binding . 
• cod pieces - a male garment originally worn to conceal and protect genitals dating from the 15th century that became something so much more  
• corsets - a garment worn by men and women to support and shape the body. In the 19th century their wide-spread use by women caused them major health issues.
• bombasts - a 16th century practice of wearing padded clothing to enhance/exaggerate the body's natural shape
• the cockade - a symbol of freedom - originally worn by French soldiers
• ruffs - a detachable collar that grew larger and more elaborate
• winkle picker shoes - Who were the men who wore them?   The history of winkle pickers 
• body piercings - the different types of piercings, and their origin
• tattoos -trace its history across cultures, its meanings, the wide spread use of tattoos, how to remove a tattoo
• statement jewelry - the history of jewelry to show status  - wedding rings, engagement rings, crowns, chains of office, the use of precious stones

Are they hoarders or collectors? Why do some people collect things like: unopened bottles of coca cola, album covers, newspapers, playing cards, cigarette packets, menus, garden ornaments, old pens, comics, paper table napkins, autographs, branded memorabilia eg. McDonalds happy toys, Barbie dolls, hair clips, salt and pepper shakers ...

Find out. Do an interview. Take some photos.

Weird beliefs - research and present one or two beliefs you find the strangest. Who believed them?  When were they believed? Where? What country? Can you explain the reason why? 

• that cigarettes were good for health
• that the earth was flat and you could fall off its edge
• that trains went so fast they literally rattled people's brains, making them insane
• that washing hands before surgery was unnecessary
• that some races and cultures are superior to others
• that eugenics (controlled breeding in humans) is an acceptable way to eliminate inheritable characteristics seen as undesirable 
• that disease was spread by smell
• that the sun was the center of the universe
• that seatbelts in cars were unnecessary
• that a woman's role in life is to make her husband happy

Very strange animals, birds, fish or insects - what are the weirdest, where do they live, what do they eat? 

Here's ten remarkable creatures to get you started.

• axolotls (Mexican Walking Fish)
• flightless cormorants
• long wattled umbrella birds
• assassin bugs
• stick insects
• shoebill storks

Weird inventions - What was it? Who invented it? When, where and why?

Some inventions are truly weird. They were when they were thought up and made, and they still are now. Others were thought weird at first but today are regarded as impossible to live without. 

Investigate any of these:

• The bicycle - It was considered a dangerous fad.
• Talkies - talking in the movies. That was thought a gimmick.
• Mono-wheeled motorbikes
• Automobiles
• The saluting device for perfect salutations
• The hug me pillow and other clever devices, like hairy stockings
• Electric lamps or light bulbs
• Personal computers
• Vaccinations

Strange sports : where are they played, when, by whom, and how. For example:

• wife carrying
• egg and cheese rolling (two separate sports)

(The oddness of a sport is often a matter of perspective. If you've never heard of it, or seen it played before, then it may seem weird to you. However to the people involved, either as participants or observers, the sport is accepted as normal, frequently without question.)  

• Fact or fiction? Choose an interesting true story to retell that seems unbelievable.
• Trivia: little bits of often useless information. Why does it fascinate? 
• Research and present little known awe inspiring facts about the functioning of our bodies. 
• Urban myths - what are they, examples, how are they spread and why are they believed?
• Weird people. Find out about famous eccentrics: people who have decided to live life on their own terms. 
• Why do records like the largest man in the world, the longest fingernails, or the greatest number of pies eaten in an hour fascinate people?
• How many other people share your name? Where are they in the world and what do they do?
• Weird coincidences - Is it fate, the super-natural at work, or is it really a series of freak coincidences? 
• Weird professions - passed and present. For example being employed as a rat catcher, chimney sweep, mud lark, lamp lighter, bicycle courier, doula, video game tester, mobile app developer 
• Weird buildings - For example, the basket building in USA,  the egg shaped office building in India, or the bubble house in France.

Trading places

Age old wisdom says there would be fewer misunderstandings and arguments if we learned to see the world from the each others perspectives. We would be less quick to judge, more tolerant and more understanding if we saw and felt how it was to walk in the shoes of another person.

Looking from a different perspective broadens and deepens our thinking.

The 5 topic suggestions below span personal through to major world events. Ask yourself, how would it be if I was there or, if this person was me? What would I think? What would I feel?

5 from another perspective speech topics 

• In XXX {insert the name of a country eg Japan, Samoa, Chile} in XXX {insert the year or century eg the 19th century} a day in the life of a person my age would be ...
• A day in my Mother's/Father's life at the same age I am now. Where did your parents live? Town or country? In a house or an apartment? How did they get to school? What did they study? What chores did they have to do daily?  
• Retell an historical event as if you were there and part of it. Choose an event you find interesting eg. the fall of the Berlin Wall, granting women the right to vote, the death of Martin Luther King ...
• Tell how a major invention or medical break-through changed lives as if you were there. Eg. the development of the smart phone, bionic prosthesis, laser surgery ...  
• If I was {insert a word of your choice - eg. homeless, physically disabled in some way - blind, deaf, reliant on a mobility scooter ...} my experience of the world would be changed. How? What issues would you face? How would you meet them?

What were the beginnings or the origins of...?

There is a story behind everything and some of them are really interesting!

For instance the Christmas tradition of kissing under mistletoe (a plant that grows on trees) dates way back to the time of the Druids who thought it had mystical powers. It was supposed to bring good luck and keep evil spirits away.

In Norse mythology it signified love and friendship, hence the kissing! And, dear reader, of course there is more to find out. Enough to prepare an interesting, entertaining speech.

The same applies to all the other topic suggestions below.

19 speech topics exploring origins

• Christmas celebrations or any aspect of them eg. cards, carols, gift giving, special food ...
• Easter celebrations (or any other widely observed customary celebration)
• Table manners or eating etiquette. How do "good" table manners vary from culture to culture? Why were they developed in the first place? 
• Common sayings eg. "to be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth" or "the salt of the earth"
• Types of music eg. rock and roll, jazz, hip hop ...
• Types of art eg. folk art, sculpture, pottery, theater ...
• Postal stamps or money
• Softball, grid iron or any other sport
• The current governmental system
• Zodiac signs
• Beauty Queen pageants
• Modern warfare
• Education - schooling in your country or your area
• Card or board games 
• Advertising
• Television soaps. What's the story behind those long running TV serials?
• Print - books, newspapers
• Journalism - where did it start?
• Language - how does it develop?

Avoiding the procrastination trap

The time is now! 

Having looked through all these potentially  good speech  topics  please don't fall into the  procrastination trap!

Make yourself a  short list  of at least  three possibilities  and thinking about your audience, the main purpose of your speech and your personal interest or enthusiasm for each of them, whittle your list down to the best one.

Points you'll want to consider as part of your decision making are:

• the time you have to prepare your speech
• how much you know about the topic already. Do you need to do lots of research, or some? Is the research easy to do?
• the angle you intend to use - is it persuasive, informative, humorous, unconventional, potentially shocking or upsetting, quirky? How does that fit with your audience's needs and if your speech is for a classroom assignment, the guidelines you have been given?

More places to find interesting speech topics

If you really are stuck for a topic that resonates with you check these sources out.

• magazines for specialist opinion pieces
• the top news sites, blogs - for commentary on political events, natural disasters, social issues
• radio - community, country and world news plus commentary and analysis
• television for documentaries and indepth reportage
• bulletin boards in your own community - for current topical events eg a meeting to discuss the implication of closing the local mine or the impact of raising the cost of public transport
• your family and friends
• Listening to the conversations around you and observing closely what you see.
• This site! Click this link - speech topics - to find many more pages full of interesting speech ideas.

How to get better grades for your speech

What does your teacher long to hear.

I taught high-school level English for many years and over that time listened to hundreds of speeches.

Those students I gave an A grade to got them because their:

• topic was interesting. They'd either found an original angle to present known material or found a "new" topic.
• speech was tailored for the audience. It was relevant to them and personalized.
• presentation was well structured. It had a good opening, body and conclusion.
• delivery had been rehearsed. They knew their speech. The use of props or additional material was appropriate and well integrated into the flow of the speech.
• audience listened and enjoyed what they heard.

You are welcome to use my  speech evaluation checklist  as a guide to help you prepare an A grade speech of your own.

To prepare, structure & deliver your speech use these pages:

• how to write a speech  You'll find full explanations and examples of the step by step process needed to get you safely from choosing your topic to presenting the speech itself.
• voice image   Did you know your voice is an important part of giving your speech? The quality of your voice can make the difference between being listened to and not. Go to the  voice image   page. Read and follow the links to find out how you can optimize your vocal delivery.

• vocal variety Use tone, pitch, pause and pace to deliver your speech effectively. An interesting speech topic is a great start. It would be shame to waste it and the work you've done through weak delivery!
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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 105 interesting persuasive speech topics for any project.

General Education

Are you struggling to find good persuasive speech topics? It can be hard to find a topic that interests both you and your audience, but in this guide we've done the hard work and created a list of 105 great persuasive speech ideas. They're organized into ten categories and cover a variety of topics, so you're sure to find one that interests you.

In addition to our list, we also go over which factors make good persuasive speech topics and three tips you should follow when researching and writing your persuasive speech.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Speech Topic?

What makes certain persuasive speech topics better than others? There are numerous reasons, but in this section we discuss three of the most important factors of great topics for a persuasive speech.

It's Something You Know About or Are Interested in Learning About

The most important factor in choosing and creating a great persuasive speech is picking a topic you care about and are interested in. You'll need to do a lot of research on this topic, and if it's something you like learning about, that'll make the process much easier and more enjoyable. It'll also help you sound passionate and informed when you talk, both important factors in giving an excellent persuasive speech.

It's a Topic People Care About

In fourth grade, after being told I could give a persuasive speech on any topic I wanted to , I chose to discuss why the Saguaro cactus should be the United State's national plant. Even though I gave an impassioned talk and drew a life-size Saguaro cactus on butcher paper to hang behind me, I doubt anyone enjoyed the speech much.

I'd recently returned from a family vacation to Arizona where I'd seen Saguaro cacti for the first time and decided they were the coolest thing ever. However, most people don't care that much about Saguaro cacti, and most people don't care what our national plant is or if we even have one (for the record, the US has a national flower, and it's the rose).

Spare yourself the smattering of bored applause my nine-old self got at the end of my speech and choose something you think people will be interested in hearing about. This also ties into knowing your audience, which we discuss more in the final section.

It Isn't Overdone

When I was in high school, nearly every persuasive speech my classmates and I were assigned was the exact same topic: should the drinking age be lowered to 18? I got this prompt in English class, on standardized tests, in speech and debate class, etc. I've written and presented about it so often I could probably still rattle off all the main points of my old speeches word-for-word.

You can imagine that everyone's eyes glazed over whenever classmates gave their speeches on this topic. We'd heard about it so many times that, even if it was a topic we cared about, speeches on it just didn't interest us anymore.

The are many potential topics for a persuasive speech. Be wary of choosing one that's cliche or overdone. Even if you give a great speech, it'll be harder to keep your audience interested if they feel like they already know what you're going to say.

An exception to this rule is that if you feel you have a new viewpoint or facts about the topic that currently aren't common knowledge. Including them can make an overdone topic interesting. If you do this, be sure to make it clear early on in your speech that you have unique info or opinions on the topic so your audience knows to expect something new.

105 Topics for a Persuasive Speech

Here's our list of 105 great persuasive speech ideas. We made sure to choose topics that aren't overdone, yet that many people will have an interest in, and we also made a point of choosing topics with multiple viewpoints rather than simplistic topics that have a more obvious right answer (i.e. Is bullying bad?). The topics are organized into ten categories.

Arts/Culture

• Should art and music therapy be covered by health insurance?
• Should all students be required to learn an instrument in school?
• Should all national museums be free to citizens?
• Should graffiti be considered art?
• Should offensive language be removed from works of classic literature?
• Are paper books better than e-books?
• Should all interns be paid for their work?
• Should employees receive bonuses for walking or biking to work?
• Will Brexit hurt or help the UK's economy?
• Should all people over the age of 65 be able to ride the bus for free?
• Should the federal minimum wage be increased?
• Should tipping in restaurants be mandatory?
• Should Black Friday sales be allowed to start on Thanksgiving?
• Should students who bully others be expelled?
• Should all schools require students wear uniforms?
• Should boys and girls be taught in separate classrooms?
• Should students be allowed to listen to music during study hall?
• Should all elementary schools be required to teach a foreign language?
• Should schools include meditation or relaxation breaks during the day?
• Should grades in gym class affect students' GPAs?
• Should teachers get a bonus when their students score well on standardized tests?
• Should children of undocumented immigrants be allowed to attend public schools?
• Should students get paid for getting a certain GPA?
• Should students be allowed to have their cell phones with them during school?
• Should high school students be allowed to leave school during lunch breaks?
• Should Greek life at colleges be abolished?
• Should high school students be required to volunteer a certain number of hours before they can graduate?
• Should schools still teach cursive handwriting?
• What are the best ways for schools to stop bullying?
• Should prostitution be legalized?
• Should people with more than one DUI lose their driver's license?
• Should people be required to shovel snow from the sidewalks in front of their house?
• Should minors be able to drink alcohol in their home if they have their parent's consent?
• Should guns be allowed on college campuses?
• Should flag burning as a form of protest be illegal?
• Should welfare recipients be required to pass a drug test?
• Should white supremacist groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places?
• Should assault weapons be illegal?
• Should the death penalty be abolished?
• Should beauty pageants for children be banned?
• Is it OK to refuse to serve same-sex couples based on religious beliefs?
• Should transgender people be allowed to serve in the military?
• Is it better to live together before marriage or to wait?
• Should affirmative action be allowed?
• Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
• Should Columbus Day be replaced with Indigenous Peoples' Day?

Government/Politics

• Should the government spend more money on developing high-speed rail lines and less on building new roads?
• Should the government be allowed to censor internet content deemed inappropriate?
• Should Puerto Rico become the 51st state?
• Should Scotland declare independence from the United Kingdom?
• Whose face should be on the next new currency printed by the US?
• Should people convicted of drug possession be sent to recovery programs instead of jail?
• Should voting be made compulsory?
• Who was the best American president?
• Should the military budget be reduced?
• Should the President be allowed to serve more than two terms?
• Should a border fence be built between the United States and Mexico?
• Should countries pay ransom to terrorist groups in order to free hostages?
• Should minors be able to purchase birth control without their parent's consent?
• Should hiding or lying about your HIV status with someone you're sleeping with be illegal?
• Should governments tax soda and other sugary drinks and use the revenue for public health?
• Should high schools provide free condoms to students?
• Should the US switch to single-payer health care?
• Should healthy people be required to regularly donate blood?
• Should assisted suicide be legal?
• Should religious organizations be required to pay taxes?
• Should priests be allowed to get married?
• Should the religious slaughter of animals be banned?
• Should the Church of Scientology be exempt from paying taxes?
• Should women be allowed to be priests?
• Should countries be allowed to only accept refugees with certain religious beliefs?
• Should public prayer be allowed in schools?

Science/Environment

• Should human cloning be allowed?
• Should people be allowed to own exotic animals like tigers and monkeys?
• Should "animal selfies" in tourist locations with well-known animal species (like koalas and tigers) be allowed?
• Should genetically modified foods be sold in grocery stores?
• Should people be allowed to own pit bulls?
• Should parents be allowed to choose the sex of their unborn children?
• Should vaccinations be required for students to attend public school?
• What is the best type of renewable energy?
• Should plastic bags be banned in grocery stores?
• Should the United States rejoin the Paris Agreement?
• Should puppy mills be banned?
• Should fracking be legal?
• Should animal testing be illegal?
• Should offshore drilling be allowed in protected marine areas?
• Should the US government increase NASA's budget?
• Should Pluto still be considered a planet?
• Should college athletes be paid for being on a sports team?
• Should all athletes be required to pass regular drug tests?
• Should professional female athletes be paid the same as male athletes in the same sport?
• Are there any cases when athletes should be allowed to use steroids?
• Should college sports teams receive less funding?
• Should boxing be illegal?
• Should schools be required to teach all students how to swim?
• Should cheerleading be considered a sport?
• Should parents let their children play tackle football?
• Will robots reduce or increase human employment opportunities?
• What age should children be allowed to have a cell phone?
• Should libraries be replaced with unlimited access to e-books?
• Overall, has technology helped connect people or isolate them?
• Should self-driving cars be legal?
• Should all new buildings be energy efficient?
• Is Net Neutrality a good thing or a bad thing?
• Do violent video games encourage players to become violent in real life?

3 Bonus Tips for Crafting Your Persuasive Speech

Of course, giving a great persuasive speech requires more than just choosing a good topic. Follow the three tips below to create an outstanding speech that'll interest and impress your audience.

Do Your Research

For a persuasive speech, there's nothing worse than getting an audience question that shows you misunderstood the issue or left an important piece out. It makes your entire speech look weak and unconvincing.

Before you start writing a single word of your speech, be sure to do lots of research on all sides of the topic. Look at different sources and points of view to be sure you're getting the full picture, and if you know any experts on the topic, be sure to ask their opinion too.

Consider All the Angles

Persuasive speech topics are rarely black and white, which means there will be multiple sides and viewpoints on the topic. For example, for the topic "Should people be allowed to own pit bulls?" there are two obvious viewpoints: everyone should be allowed to own a pit bull if they want to, and no one should be allowed to own a pit bull. But there are other options you should also consider: people should only own a pit bull if they pass a dog training class, people should be able to own pit bulls, but only if it's the only dog they own, people should be able to own pi tbulls but only if they live a certain distance from schools, people should be able to own pit bulls only if the dog passes an obedience class, etc.

Thinking about all these angles and including them in your speech will make you seem well-informed on the topic, and it'll increase the quality of your speech by looking at difference nuances of the issue.

Know Your Audience

Whenever you give a speech, it's important to consider your audience, and this is especially true for persuasive speeches when you're trying to convince people to believe a certain viewpoint. When writing your speech, think about what your audience likely already knows about the topic, what they probably need explained, and what aspects of the topic they care about most. Also consider what the audience will be most concerned about for a certain topic, and be sure to address those concerns.

For example, if you're giving a speech to a Catholic organization on why you think priests should be allowed to marry, you don't need to go over the history of Catholicism or its core beliefs (which they probably already know), but you should mention any research or prominent opinions that support your view (which they likely don't know about). They may be concerned that priests who marry won't be as committed to God or their congregations, so be sure to address those concerns and why they shouldn't worry about them as much as they may think. Discussing your topic with people (ideally those with viewpoints similar to those of your future audience) before you give your speech is a good way to get a better understanding of how your audience thinks.

More Resources for Writing Persuasive Speeches

If you need more guidance or just want to check out some examples of great persuasive writing, consider checking out the following books:

• Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History by William Safire—This collection of great speeches throughout history will help you decide how to style your own argument.
• The Essentials of Persuasive Public Speaking by Sims Wyeth—For quick direct tips on public speaking, try this all-purpose guide.
• Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo—This popular book breaks down what makes TED talks work and how you can employ those skills in your own presentations.
• We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman—These two recent speeches by contemporary writers offer stellar examples of how to craft a compelling (and engaging) argument.

Conclusion: Persuasive Speech Ideas

Good persuasive speech topics can be difficult to think of, but in this guide we've compiled a list of 105 interesting persuasive speech topics for you to look through.

The best persuasive speech ideas will be on a topic you're interested in, aren't overdone, and will be about something your audience cares about.

After you've chosen your topic, keep these three tips in mind when writing your persuasive speech:

• Do your research
• Consider all the angles
• Know your audience

What's Next?

Now that you have persuasive speech topics, it's time to hone your persuasive speech techniques. Find out what ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos are and how to use them here .

Looking to take your persuasive technique from speech to sheets (of paper)? Get our three key tips on how to write an argumentative essay , or learn by reading through our thorough breakdown of how to build an essay, step by step .

Want a great GPA? Check out our step-by-step guide to getting good grades in high school so you can have a stellar transcript.

Interested in learning about other great extracurricular opportunities? Learn more about job shadowing , community service , and volunteer abroad programs.

Still trying to figure out your courses? Check out our expert guide on which classes you should take in high school.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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40 famous persuasive speeches you need to hear.

Written by Kai Xin Koh

Across eras of calamity and peace in our world’s history, a great many leaders, writers, politicians, theorists, scientists, activists and other revolutionaries have unveiled powerful rousing speeches in their bids for change. In reviewing the plethora of orators across tides of social, political and economic change, we found some truly rousing speeches that brought the world to their feet or to a startling, necessary halt. We’ve chosen 40 of the most impactful speeches we managed to find from agents of change all over the world – a diversity of political campaigns, genders, positionalities and periods of history. You’re sure to find at least a few speeches in this list which will capture you with the sheer power of their words and meaning!

1. I have a dream by MLK

“I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!”

Unsurprisingly, Martin Luther King’s speech comes up top as the most inspiring speech of all time, especially given the harrowing conditions of African Americans in America at the time. In the post-abolition era when slavery was outlawed constitutionally, African Americans experienced an intense period of backlash from white supremacists who supported slavery where various institutional means were sought to subordinate African American people to positions similar to that of the slavery era. This later came to be known as the times of Jim Crow and segregation, which Martin Luther King powerfully voiced his vision for a day when racial discrimination would be a mere figment, where equality would reign.

2. Tilbury Speech by Queen Elizabeth I

“My loving people, We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you on a word of a prince, they shall be duly paid. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over these enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.”

While at war with Spain, Queen Elizabeth I was most renowned for her noble speech rallying the English troops against their comparatively formidable opponent. Using brilliant rhetorical devices like metonymy, meronymy, and other potent metaphors, she voiced her deeply-held commitment as a leader to the battle against the Spanish Armada – convincing the English army to keep holding their ground and upholding the sacrifice of war for the good of their people. Eventually against all odds, she led England to victory despite their underdog status in the conflict with her confident and masterful oratory.

3. Woodrow Wilson, address to Congress (April 2, 1917)

“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them. Just because we fight without rancor and without selfish object, seeking nothing for ourselves but what we shall wish to share with all free peoples, we shall, I feel confident, conduct our operations as belligerents without passion and ourselves observe with proud punctilio the principles of right and of fair play we profess to be fighting for. … It will be all the easier for us to conduct ourselves as belligerents in a high spirit of right and fairness because we act without animus, not in enmity toward a people or with the desire to bring any injury or disadvantage upon them, but only in armed opposition to an irresponsible government which has thrown aside all considerations of humanity and of right and is running amuck. We are, let me say again, the sincere friends of the German people, and shall desire nothing so much as the early reestablishment of intimate relations of mutual advantage between us—however hard it may be for them, for the time being, to believe that this is spoken from our hearts. We have borne with their present government through all these bitter months because of that friendship—exercising a patience and forbearance which would otherwise have been impossible. We shall, happily, still have an opportunity to prove that friendship in our daily attitude and actions toward the millions of men and women of German birth and native sympathy who live among us and share our life, and we shall be proud to prove it toward all who are in fact loyal to their neighbors and to the government in the hour of test. They are, most of them, as true and loyal Americans as if they had never known any other fealty or allegiance. They will be prompt to stand with us in rebuking and restraining the few who may be of a different mind and purpose. If there should be disloyalty, it will be dealt with with a firm hand of stern repression; but, if it lifts its head at all, it will lift it only here and there and without countenance except from a lawless and malignant few. It is a distressing and oppressive duty, gentlemen of the Congress, which I have performed in thus addressing you. There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free. To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other.”

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the USA delivered his address to Congress, calling for declaration of war against what was at the time, a belligerent and aggressive Germany in WWI. Despite his isolationism and anti-war position earlier in his tenure as president, he convinced Congress that America had a moral duty to the world to step out of their neutral observer status into an active role of world leadership and stewardship in order to liberate attacked nations from their German aggressors. The idealistic values he preached in his speech left an indelible imprint upon the American spirit and self-conception, forming the moral basis for the country’s people and aspirational visions to this very day.

4. Ain’t I A Woman by Sojourner Truth

“That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman? … If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”

Hailing from a background of slavery and oppression, Sojourner Truth was one of the most revolutionary advocates for women’s human rights in the 1800s. In spite of the New York Anti-Slavery Law of 1827, her slavemaster refused to free her. As such, she fled, became an itinerant preacher and leading figure in the anti-slavery movement. By the 1850s, she became involved in the women’s rights movement as well. At the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, she delivered her illuminating, forceful speech against discrimination of women and African Americans in the post-Civil War era, entrenching her status as one of the most revolutionary abolitionists and women’s rights activists across history.

5. The Gettsyburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

President Abraham Lincoln had left the most lasting legacy upon American history for good reason, as one of the presidents with the moral courage to denounce slavery for the national atrocity it was. However, more difficult than standing up for the anti-slavery cause was the task of unifying the country post-abolition despite the looming shadows of a time when white Americans could own and subjugate slaves with impunity over the thousands of Americans who stood for liberation of African Americans from discrimination. He urged Americans to remember their common roots, heritage and the importance of “charity for all”, to ensure a “just and lasting peace” among within the country despite throes of racial division and self-determination.

6. Woman’s Rights to the Suffrage by Susan B Anthony

“For any State to make sex a qualification that must ever result in the disfranchisement of one entire half of the people is to pass a bill of attainder, or an ex post facto law, and is therefore a violation of the supreme law of the land. By it the blessings of liberty are for ever withheld from women and their female posterity. To them this government has no just powers derived from the consent of the governed. To them this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on the face of the globe; an oligarchy of wealth, where the right govern the poor. An oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African, might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters of every household–which ordains all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord and rebellion into every home of the nation. Webster, Worcester and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled to vote and hold office. The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then, women are citizens; and no State has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall abridge their privileges or immunities. Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several States is today null and void, precisely as in every one against Negroes.”

Susan B. Anthony was a pivotal leader in the women’s suffrage movement who helped to found the National Woman Suffrage Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and fight for the constitutional right for women to vote. She courageously and relentlessly advocated for women’s rights, giving speeches all over the USA to convince people of women’s human rights to choice and the ballot. She is most well known for her act of righteous rebellion in 1872 when she voted in the presidential election illegally, for which she was arrested and tried unsuccessfully. She refused to pay the $100 fine in a bid to reject the demands of the American system she denounced as a ‘hateful oligarchy of sex’, sparking change with her righteous oratory and inspiring many others in the women’s suffrage movement within and beyond America.

7. Vladimir Lenin’s Speech at an International Meeting in Berne, February 8, 1916

“It may sound incredible, especially to Swiss comrades, but it is nevertheless true that in Russia, also, not only bloody tsarism, not only the capitalists, but also a section of the so-called or ex-Socialists say that Russia is fighting a “war of defence,” that Russia is only fighting against German invasion. The whole world knows, however, that for decades tsarism has been oppressing more than a hundred million people belonging to other nationalities in Russia; that for decades Russia has been pursuing a predatory policy towards China, Persia, Armenia and Galicia. Neither Russia, nor Germany, nor any other Great Power has the right to claim that it is waging a “war of defence”; all the Great Powers are waging an imperialist, capitalist war, a predatory war, a war for the oppression of small and foreign nations, a war for the sake of the profits of the capitalists, who are coining golden profits amounting to billions out of the appalling sufferings of the masses, out of the blood of the proletariat. … This again shows you, comrades, that in all countries of the world real preparations are being made to rally the forces of the working class. The horrors of war and the sufferings of the people are incredible. But we must not, and we have no reason whatever, to view the future with despair. The millions of victims who will fall in the war, and as a consequence of the war, will not fall in vain. The millions who are starving, the millions who are sacrificing their lives in the trenches, are not only suffering, they are also gathering strength, are pondering over the real cause of the war, are becoming more determined and are acquiring a clearer revolutionary understanding. Rising discontent of the masses, growing ferment, strikes, demonstrations, protests against the war—all this is taking place in all countries of the world. And this is the guarantee that the European War will be followed by the proletarian revolution against capitalism”

Vladimir Lenin remains to this day one of the most lauded communist revolutionaries in the world who brought the dangers of imperialism and capitalism to light with his rousing speeches condemning capitalist structures of power which inevitably enslave people to lives of misery and class stratification. In his genuine passion for the rights of the working class, he urged fellow comrades to turn the “imperialist war” into a “civil” or class war of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie. He encouraged the development of new revolutionary socialist organisations, solidarity across places in society so people could unite against their capitalist overlords, and criticised nationalism for its divisive effect on the socialist movement. In this speech especially, he lambasts “bloody Tsarism” for its oppression of millions of people of other nationalities in Russia, calling for the working class people to revolt against the Tsarist authority for the proletariat revolution to succeed and liberate them from class oppression.

8. I Have A Dream Speech by Mary Wollstonecraft

“If, I say, for I would not impress by declamation when Reason offers her sober light, if they be really capable of acting like rational creatures, let them not be treated like slaves; or, like the brutes who are dependent on the reason of man, when they associate with him; but cultivate their minds, give them the salutary, sublime curb of principle, and let them attain conscious dignity by feeling themselves only dependent on God. Teach them, in common with man, to submit to necessity, instead of giving, to render them more pleasing, a sex to morals. Further, should experience prove that they cannot attain the same degree of strength of mind, perseverance, and fortitude, let their virtues be the same in kind, though they may vainly struggle for the same degree; and the superiority of man will be equally clear, if not clearer; and truth, as it is a simple principle, which admits of no modification, would be common to both. Nay, the order of society as it is at present regulated would not be inverted, for woman would then only have the rank that reason assigned her, and arts could not be practised to bring the balance even, much less to turn it.”

In her vindication of the rights of women, Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the pioneers of the feminist movement back in 1792 who not only theorised and advocated revolutionarily, but gave speeches that voiced these challenges against a dominantly sexist society intent on classifying women as irrational less-than-human creatures to be enslaved as they were. In this landmark speech, she pronounces her ‘dream’ of a day when women would be treated as the rational, deserving humans they are, who are equal to man in strength and capability. With this speech setting an effective precedent for her call to equalize women before the law, she also went on to champion the provision of equal educational opportunities to women and girls, and persuasively argued against the patriarchal gender norms which prevented women from finding their own lot in life through their being locked into traditional institutions of marriage and motherhood against their will.

9. First Inaugural Speech by Franklin D Roosevelt

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days. … More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment. Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped merely by talking about it. We must act and act quickly. … I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that a stricken Nation in the midst of a stricken world may require. These measures, or such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom, I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption. But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis — broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.”

Roosevelt’s famous inaugural speech was delivered in the midst of a period of immense tension and strain under the Great Depression, where he highlighted the need for ‘quick action’ by Congress to prepare for government expansion in his pursuit of reforms to lift the American people out of devastating poverty. In a landslide victory, he certainly consolidated the hopes and will of the American people through this compelling speech.

10. The Hypocrisy of American Slavery by Frederick Douglass

“What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mock; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy – a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour. Go search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.”

On 4 July 1852, Frederick Douglass gave this speech in Rochester, New York, highlighting the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom while slavery continues. He exposed the ‘revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy’ of slavery which had gone unabolished amidst the comparatively obscene celebration of independence and liberty with his potent speech and passion for the anti-abolition cause. After escaping from slavery, he went on to become a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York with his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. To this day, his fierce activism and devotion to exposing virulent racism for what it was has left a lasting legacy upon pro-Black social movements and the overall sociopolitical landscape of America.

11. Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I’ve got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.”

With her iconic poem Still I Rise , Maya Angelou is well-known for uplifting fellow African American women through her empowering novels and poetry and her work as a civil rights activist. Every bit as lyrical on the page, her recitation of Still I Rise continues to give poetry audiences shivers all over the world, inspiring women of colour everywhere to keep the good faith in striving for equality and peace, while radically believing in and empowering themselves to be agents of change. A dramatic reading of the poem will easily showcase the self-belief, strength and punch that it packs in the last stanza on the power of resisting marginalization.

12. Their Finest Hour by Winston Churchill

“What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.””

In the darkest shadows cast by war, few leaders have been able to step up to the mantle and effectively unify millions of citizens for truly sacrificial causes. Winston Churchill was the extraordinary exception – lifting 1940 Britain out of the darkness with his hopeful, convicted rhetoric to galvanise the English amidst bleak, dreary days of war and loss. Through Britain’s standalone position in WWII against the Nazis, he left his legacy by unifying the nation under shared sacrifices of the army and commemorating their courage.

13. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

“Life for both sexes – and I looked at them (through a restaurant window while waiting for my lunch to be served), shouldering their way along the pavement – is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle. It calls for gigantic courage and strength. More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself. Without self-confidence we are babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself. By feeling that one has some innate superiority – it may be wealth, or rank, a straight nose, or the portrait of a grandfather by Romney – for there is no end to the pathetic devices of the human imagination – over other people. Hence the enormous importance to a patriarch who has to conquer, who has to rule, of feeling that great numbers of people, half the human race indeed, are by nature inferior to himself. It must indeed be one of the great sources of his power….Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. Without that power probably the earth would still be swamp and jungle. The glories of all our wars would be on the remains of mutton bones and bartering flints for sheepskins or whatever simple ornament took our unsophisticated taste. Supermen and Fingers of Destiny would never have existed. The Czar and the Kaiser would never have worn their crowns or lost them. Whatever may be their use in civilised societies, mirrors are essential to all violent and heroic action. That is why Napoleon and Mussolini both insist so emphatically upon the inferiority of women, for if they were not inferior, they would cease to enlarge. That serves to explain in part the necessity that women so often are to men. And it serves to explain how restless they are under her criticism; how impossible it is for her to say to them this book is bad, this picture is feeble, or whatever it may be, without giving far more pain and rousing far more anger than a man would do who gave the same criticism. For if she begins to tell the truth, the figure in the looking-glass shrinks; his fitness in life is diminished. How is he to go on giving judgment, civilising natives, making laws, writing books, dressing up and speechifying at banquets, unless he can see himself at breakfast and at dinner at least twice the size he really is?”

In this transformational speech , Virginia Woolf pronounces her vision that ‘a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction’. She calls out the years in which women have been deprived of their own space for individual development through being chained to traditional arrangements or men’s prescriptions – demanding ‘gigantic courage’ and ‘confidence in oneself’ to brave through the onerous struggle of creating change for women’s rights. With her steadfast, stolid rhetoric and radical theorization, she paved the way for many women’s rights activists and writers to forge their own paths against patriarchal authority.

14. Inaugural Address by John F Kennedy

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility–I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

For what is probably the most historically groundbreaking use of parallelism in speech across American history, President JFK placed the weighty task of ‘asking what one can do for their country’ onto the shoulders of each American citizen. Using an air of firmness in his rhetoric by declaring his commitment to his countrymen, he urges each American to do the same for the broader, noble ideal of freedom for all. With his crucial interrogation of a citizen’s moral duty to his nation, President JFK truly made history.

15. Atoms for Peace Speech by Dwight Eisenhower

“To pause there would be to confirm the hopeless finality of a belief that two atomic colossi are doomed malevolently to eye each other indefinitely across a trembling world. To stop there would be to accept helplessly the probability of civilization destroyed, the annihilation of the irreplaceable heritage of mankind handed down to us from generation to generation, and the condemnation of mankind to begin all over again the age-old struggle upward from savagery towards decency, and right, and justice. Surely no sane member of the human race could discover victory in such desolation. Could anyone wish his name to be coupled by history with such human degradation and destruction?Occasional pages of history do record the faces of the “great destroyers”, but the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build. It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified. My country wants to be constructive,not destructive. It wants agreements, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the peoples of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life. So my country’s purpose is to help us to move out of the dark chamber of horrors into the light, to find a way by which the minds of men, the hopes of men, the souls of men everywhere, can move forward towards peace and happiness and well-being.”

On a possibility as frightful and tense as nuclear war, President Eisenhower managed to convey the gravity of the world’s plight in his measured and persuasive speech centred on the greater good of mankind. Using rhetorical devices such as the three-part paratactical syntax which most world leaders are fond of for ingraining their words in the minds of their audience, he centers the discourse of the atomic bomb on those affected by such a world-changing decision in ‘the minds, hopes and souls of men everywhere’ – effectively putting the vivid image of millions of people’s fates at stake in the minds of his audience. Being able to make a topic as heavy and fraught with moral conflict as this as eloquent as he did, Eisenhower definitely ranks among some of the most skilled orators to date.

16. The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde

“I was going to die, if not sooner then later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences. What are the words you do not have yet? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? Perhaps for some of you here today, I am the face of one of your fears. Because I am a woman, because I am black, because I am myself, a black woman warrior poet doing my work, come to ask you, are you doing yours?”

Revolutionary writer, feminist and civil rights activist Audre Lorde first delivered this phenomenal speech at Lesbian and Literature panel of the Modern Language Association’s December 28, 1977 meeting, which went on to feature permanently in her writings for its sheer wisdom and truth. Her powerful writing and speech about living on the margins of society has enlightened millions of people discriminated across various intersections, confronting them with the reality that they must speak – since their ‘silence will not protect’ them from further marginalization. Through her illuminating words and oratory, she has reminded marginalized persons of the importance of their selfhood and the radical capacity for change they have in a world blighted by prejudice and division.

17. 1965 Cambridge Union Hall Speech by James Baldwin

“What is dangerous here is the turning away from – the turning away from – anything any white American says. The reason for the political hesitation, in spite of the Johnson landslide is that one has been betrayed by American politicians for so long. And I am a grown man and perhaps I can be reasoned with. I certainly hope I can be. But I don’t know, and neither does Martin Luther King, none of us know how to deal with those other people whom the white world has so long ignored, who don’t believe anything the white world says and don’t entirely believe anything I or Martin is saying. And one can’t blame them. You watch what has happened to them in less than twenty years.”

Baldwin’s invitation to the Cambridge Union Hall is best remembered for foregrounding the unflinching differences in white and African Americans’ ‘system of reality’ in everyday life. Raising uncomfortable truths about the insidious nature of racism post-civil war, he provides several nuggets of thought-provoking wisdom on the state of relations between the oppressed and their oppressors, and what is necessary to mediate such relations and destroy the exploitative thread of racist hatred. With great frankness, he admits to not having all the answers but provides hard-hitting wisdom on engagement to guide activists through confounding times nonetheless.

18. I Am Prepared to Die by Nelson Mandela

“Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one colour group by another. The ANC has spent half a century fighting against racialism. When it triumphs as it certainly must, it will not change that policy. This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live. During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Apartheid is still considered one of these most devastating events of world history, and it would not have ended without the crucial effort and words of Nelson Mandela during his courageous political leadership. In this heartbreaking speech , he voices his utter devotion to the fight against institutionalised racism in African society – an ideal for which he was ‘prepared to die for’. Mandela continues to remind us today of his moral conviction in leading, wherein the world would likely to be a better place if all politicians had the same resolve and genuine commitment to human rights and the abolition of oppression as he did.

19. Critique on British Imperialism by General Aung San

“Do they form their observations by seeing the attendances at not very many cinemas and theatres of Rangoon? Do they judge this question of money circulation by paying a stray visit to a local bazaar? Do they know that cinemas and theatres are not true indicators, at least in Burma, of the people’s conditions? Do they know that there are many in this country who cannot think of going to these places by having to struggle for their bare existence from day to day? Do they know that those who nowadays patronise or frequent cinemas and theatres which exist only in Rangoon and a few big towns, belong generally to middle and upper classes and the very few of the many poor who can attend at all are doing so as a desperate form of relaxation just to make them forget their unsupportable existences for the while whatever may be the tomorrow that awaits them?”

Under British colonial rule, one of the most legendary nationalist leaders emerged from the ranks of the thousands of Burmese to boldly lead them towards independence, out of the exploitation and control under the British. General Aung San’s speech criticising British social, political and economic control of Burma continues to be scathing, articulate, and relevant – especially given his necessary goal of uniting the Burmese natives against their common oppressor. He successfully galvanised his people against the British, taking endless risks through nationalist speeches and demonstrations which gradually bore fruit in Burma’s independence.

20. Nobel Lecture by Mother Teresa

“I believe that we are not real social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the Body Of Christ 24 hours. We have 24 hours in this presence, and so you and I. You too try to bring that presence of God in your family, for the family that prays together stays together. And I think that we in our family don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace–just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world. There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty–how much we do it does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving.”

In contemporary culture, most people understand Mother Teresa to be the epitome of compassion and kindness. However, if one were to look closer at her speeches from the past, one would discover not merely her altruistic contributions, but her keen heart for social justice and the downtrodden. She wisely and gracefully remarks that ‘love begins at home’ from the individual actions of each person within their private lives, which accumulate into a life of goodness and charity. For this, her speeches served not just consolatory value or momentary relevance, as they still inform the present on how we can live lives worth living.

21. June 9 Speech to Martial Law Units by Deng Xiaoping

“This army still maintains the traditions of our old Red Army. What they crossed this time was in the true sense of the expression a political barrier, a threshold of life and death. This was not easy. This shows that the People’s Army is truly a great wall of iron and steel of the party and state. This shows that no matter how heavy our losses, the army, under the leadership of the party, will always remain the defender of the country, the defender of socialism, and the defender of the public interest. They are a most lovable people. At the same time, we should never forget how cruel our enemies are. We should have not one bit of forgiveness for them. The fact that this incident broke out as it did is very worthy of our pondering. It prompts us cool-headedly to consider the past and the future. Perhaps this bad thing will enable us to go ahead with reform and the open policy at a steadier and better — even a faster — pace, more speedily correct our mistakes, and better develop our strong points.”

Mere days before the 4 June 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, Chinese Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping sat with six party elders (senior officials) and the three remaining members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the paramount decision-making body in China’s government. The meeting was organised to discuss the best course of action for restoring social and political order to China, given the sweeping economic reforms that had taken place in the past decade that inevitably resulted in some social resistance from the populace. Deng then gave this astute and well-regarded speech, outlining the political complexities in shutting down student protests given the context of reforms encouraging economic liberalization already taking place, as aligned with the students’ desires. It may not be the most rousing or inflammatory of speeches, but it was certainly persuasive in voicing the importance of taking a strong stand for the economic reforms Deng was implementing to benefit Chinese citizens in the long run. Today, China is an economic superpower, far from its war-torn developing country status before Deng’s leadership – thanks to his foresight in ensuring political stability would allow China to enjoy the fruits of the massive changes they adapted to.

22. Freedom or Death by Emmeline Pankhurst

“You won your freedom in America when you had the revolution, by bloodshed, by sacrificing human life. You won the civil war by the sacrifice of human life when you decided to emancipate the negro. You have left it to women in your land, the men of all civilised countries have left it to women, to work out their own salvation. That is the way in which we women of England are doing. Human life for us is sacred, but we say if any life is to be sacrificed it shall be ours; we won’t do it ourselves, but we will put the enemy in the position where they will have to choose between giving us freedom or giving us death. Now whether you approve of us or whether you do not, you must see that we have brought the question of women’s suffrage into a position where it is of first rate importance, where it can be ignored no longer. Even the most hardened politician will hesitate to take upon himself directly the responsibility of sacrificing the lives of women of undoubted honour, of undoubted earnestness of purpose. That is the political situation as I lay it before you today.”

In 1913 after Suffragette Emily Davison stepped in front of King George V’s horse at the Epsom Derby and suffered fatal injuries, Emmeline Pankhurst delivered her speech to Connecticut as a call to action for people to support the suffragette movement. Her fortitude in delivering such a sobering speech on the state of women’s rights is worth remembering for its invaluable impact and contributions to the rights we enjoy in today’s world.

23. Quit India by Mahatma Gandhi

“We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery. Every true Congressman or woman will join the struggle with an inflexible determination not to remain alive to see the country in bondage and slavery. Let that be your pledge. Keep jails out of your consideration. If the Government keep me free, I will not put on the Government the strain of maintaining a large number of prisoners at a time, when it is in trouble. Let every man and woman live every moment of his or her life hereafter in the consciousness that he or she eats or lives for achieving freedom and will die, if need be, to attain that goal. Take a pledge, with God and your own conscience as witness, that you will no longer rest till freedom is achieved and will be prepared to lay down your lives in the attempt to achieve it. He who loses his life will gain it; he who will seek to save it shall lose it. Freedom is not for the coward or the faint-hearted.”

Naturally, the revolutionary activist Gandhi had to appear in this list for his impassioned anti-colonial speeches which rallied Indians towards independence. Famous for leading non-violent demonstrations, his speeches were a key element in gathering Indians of all backgrounds together for the common cause of eliminating their colonial masters. His speeches were resolute, eloquent, and courageous, inspiring the hope and admiration of many not just within India, but around the world.

24. 1974 National Book Award Speech by Adrienne Rich, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde

“The statement I am going to read was prepared by three of the women nominated for the National Book Award for poetry, with the agreement that it would be read by whichever of us, if any, was chosen.We, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Alice Walker, together accept this award in the name of all the women whose voices have gone and still go unheard in a patriarchal world, and in the name of those who, like us, have been tolerated as token women in this culture, often at great cost and in great pain. We believe that we can enrich ourselves more in supporting and giving to each other than by competing against each other; and that poetry—if it is poetry—exists in a realm beyond ranking and comparison. We symbolically join together here in refusing the terms of patriarchal competition and declaring that we will share this prize among us, to be used as best we can for women. We appreciate the good faith of the judges for this award, but none of us could accept this money for herself, nor could she let go unquestioned the terms on which poets are given or denied honor and livelihood in this world, especially when they are women. We dedicate this occasion to the struggle for self-determination of all women, of every color, identification, or derived class: the poet, the housewife, the lesbian, the mathematician, the mother, the dishwasher, the pregnant teen-ager, the teacher, the grandmother, the prostitute, the philosopher, the waitress, the women who will understand what we are doing here and those who will not understand yet; the silent women whose voices have been denied us, the articulate women who have given us strength to do our work.”

Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, and Alice Walker wrote this joint speech to be delivered by Adrienne Rich at the 1974 National Book Awards, based on their suspicions that the first few African American lesbian women to be nominated for the awards would be snubbed in favour of a white woman nominee. Their suspicions were confirmed, and Adrienne Rich delivered this socially significant speech in solidarity with her fellow nominees, upholding the voices of the ‘silent women whose voices have been denied’.

25. Speech to 20th Congress of the CPSU by Nikita Khruschev

“Considering the question of the cult of an individual, we must first of all show everyone what harm this caused to the interests of our Party. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin had always stressed the Party’s role and significance in the direction of the socialist government of workers and peasants; he saw in this the chief precondition for a successful building of socialism in our country. Pointing to the great responsibility of the Bolshevik Party, as ruling Party of the Soviet state, Lenin called for the most meticulous observance of all norms of Party life; he called for the realization of the principles of collegiality in the direction of the Party and the state. Collegiality of leadership flows from the very nature of our Party, a Party built on the principles of democratic centralism. “This means,” said Lenin, “that all Party matters are accomplished by all Party members – directly or through representatives – who, without any exceptions, are subject to the same rules; in addition, all administrative members, all directing collegia, all holders of Party positions are elective, they must account for their activities and are recallable.””

This speech is possibly the most famed Russian speech for its status as a ‘secret’ speech delivered only to the CPSU at the time, which was eventually revealed to the public. Given the unchallenged political legacy and cult of personality which Stalin left in the Soviet Union, Nikita Khruschev’s speech condemning the authoritarian means Stalin had resorted to to consolidate power as un-socialist was an important mark in Russian history.

26. The Struggle for Human Rights by Eleanor Roosevelt

“It is my belief, and I am sure it is also yours, that the struggle for democracy and freedom is a critical struggle, for their preservation is essential to the great objective of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. Among free men the end cannot justify the means. We know the patterns of totalitarianism — the single political party, the control of schools, press, radio, the arts, the sciences, and the church to support autocratic authority; these are the age-old patterns against which men have struggled for three thousand years. These are the signs of reaction, retreat, and retrogression. The United Nations must hold fast to the heritage of freedom won by the struggle of its people; it must help us to pass it on to generations to come. The development of the ideal of freedom and its translation into the everyday life of the people in great areas of the earth is the product of the efforts of many peoples. It is the fruit of a long tradition of vigorous thinking and courageous action. No one race and on one people can claim to have done all the work to achieve greater dignity for human beings and great freedom to develop human personality. In each generation and in each country there must be a continuation of the struggle and new steps forward must be taken since this is preeminently a field in which to stand still is to retreat.”

Eleanor Roosevelt has been among the most well-loved First Ladies for good reason – her eloquence and gravitas in delivering every speech convinced everyone of her suitability for the oval office. In this determined and articulate speech , she outlines the fundamental values that form the bedrock of democracy, urging the rest of the world to uphold human rights regardless of national ideology and interests.

27. The Ballot or The Bullet by Malcolm X

“And in this manner, the organizations will increase in number and in quantity and in quality, and by August, it is then our intention to have a black nationalist convention which will consist of delegates from all over the country who are interested in the political, economic and social philosophy of black nationalism. After these delegates convene, we will hold a seminar; we will hold discussions; we will listen to everyone. We want to hear new ideas and new solutions and new answers. And at that time, if we see fit then to form a black nationalist party, we’ll form a black nationalist party. If it’s necessary to form a black nationalist army, we’ll form a black nationalist army. It’ll be the ballot or the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death.”

Inarguably, the revolutionary impact Malcolm X’s fearless oratory had was substantial in his time as a radical anti-racist civil rights activist. His speeches’ emancipatory potential put forth his ‘theory of rhetorical action’ where he urges Black Americans to employ both the ballot and the bullet, strategically without being dependent on the other should the conditions of oppression change. A crucial leader in the fight for civil rights, he opened the eyes of thousands of Black Americans, politicising and convincing them of the necessity of fighting for their democratic rights against white supremacists.

28. Living the Revolution by Gloria Steinem

“The challenge to all of us, and to you men and women who are graduating today, is to live a revolution, not to die for one. There has been too much killing, and the weapons are now far too terrible. This revolution has to change consciousness, to upset the injustice of our current hierarchy by refusing to honor it, and to live a life that enforces a new social justice. Because the truth is none of us can be liberated if other groups are not.”

In an unexpected commencement speech delivered at Vassar College in 1970, Gloria Steinem boldly makes a call to action on behalf of marginalized groups in need of liberation to newly graduated students. She proclaimed it the year of Women’s Liberation and forcefully highlighted the need for a social revolution to ‘upset the injustice of the current hierarchy’ in favour of human rights – echoing the hard-hitting motto on social justice, ‘until all of us are free, none of us are free’.

29. The Last Words of Harvey Milk by Harvey Milk

“I cannot prevent some people from feeling angry and frustrated and mad in response to my death, but I hope they will take the frustration and madness and instead of demonstrating or anything of that type, I would hope that they would take the power and I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let the world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody could imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights. … All I ask is for the movement to continue, and if a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door…”

As the first openly gay elected official in the history of California, Harvey Milk’s entire political candidature was in itself a radical statement against the homophobic status quo at the time. Given the dangerous times he was in as an openly gay man, he anticipated that he would be assassinated eventually in his political career. As such, these are some of his last words which show the utter devotion he had to campaigning against homophobia while representing the American people, voicing his heartbreaking wish for the bullet that would eventually kill him to ‘destroy every closet door’.

30. Black Power Address at UC Berkeley by Stokely Carmichael

“Now we are now engaged in a psychological struggle in this country, and that is whether or not black people will have the right to use the words they want to use without white people giving their sanction to it; and that we maintain, whether they like it or not, we gonna use the word “Black Power” — and let them address themselves to that; but that we are not going to wait for white people to sanction Black Power. We’re tired waiting; every time black people move in this country, they’re forced to defend their position before they move. It’s time that the people who are supposed to be defending their position do that. That’s white people. They ought to start defending themselves as to why they have oppressed and exploited us.”

A forceful and impressive orator, Stokely Carmichael was among those at the forefront of the civil rights movement, who was a vigorous socialist organizer as well. He led the Black Power movement wherein he gave this urgent, influential speech that propelled Black Americans forward in their fight for constitutional rights in the 1960s.

31. Speech on Vietnam by Lyndon Johnson

“The true peace-keepers are those men who stand out there on the DMZ at this very hour, taking the worst that the enemy can give. The true peace-keepers are the soldiers who are breaking the terrorist’s grip around the villages of Vietnam—the civilians who are bringing medical care and food and education to people who have already suffered a generation of war. And so I report to you that we are going to continue to press forward. Two things we must do. Two things we shall do. First, we must not mislead the enemy. Let him not think that debate and dissent will produce wavering and withdrawal. For I can assure you they won’t. Let him not think that protests will produce surrender. Because they won’t. Let him not think that he will wait us out. For he won’t. Second, we will provide all that our brave men require to do the job that must be done. And that job is going to be done. These gallant men have our prayers-have our thanks—have our heart-felt praise—and our deepest gratitude. Let the world know that the keepers of peace will endure through every trial—and that with the full backing of their countrymen, they are going to prevail.”

During some of the most harrowing periods of human history, the Vietnam War, American soldiers were getting soundly defeated by the Vietnamese in guerrilla warfare. President Lyndon Johnson then issued this dignified, consolatory speech to encourage patriotism and support for the soldiers putting their lives on the line for the nation.

32. A Whisper of AIDS by Mary Fisher

“We may take refuge in our stereotypes, but we cannot hide there long, because HIV asks only one thing of those it attacks. Are you human? And this is the right question. Are you human? Because people with HIV have not entered some alien state of being. They are human. They have not earned cruelty, and they do not deserve meanness. They don’t benefit from being isolated or treated as outcasts. Each of them is exactly what God made: a person; not evil, deserving of our judgment; not victims, longing for our pity ­­ people, ready for  support and worthy of compassion. We must be consistent if we are to be believed. We cannot love justice and ignore prejudice, love our children and fear to teach them. Whatever our role as parent or policymaker, we must act as eloquently as we speak ­­ else we have no integrity. My call to the nation is a plea for awareness. If you believe you are safe, you are in danger. Because I was not hemophiliac, I was not at risk. Because I was not gay, I was not at risk. Because I did not inject drugs, I was not at risk. The lesson history teaches is this: If you believe you are safe, you are at risk. If you do not see this killer stalking your children, look again. There is no family or community, no race or religion, no place left in America that is safe. Until we genuinely embrace this message, we are a nation at risk.”

Back when AIDS research was still undeveloped, the stigma of contracting HIV was even more immense than it is today. A celebrated artist, author and speaker, Mary Fisher became an outspoken activist for those with HIV/AIDS, persuading people to extend compassion to the population with HIV instead of stigmatizing them – as injustice has a way of coming around to people eventually. Her bold act of speaking out for the community regardless of the way they contracted the disease, their sexual orientation or social group, was an influential move in advancing the human rights of those with HIV and spreading awareness on the discrimination they face.

33. Freedom from Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi

“The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation’s development. A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has little chance of genuine success. Without a revolution of the spirit, the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear. Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free men are the oppressed who go on trying and who in the process make themselves fit to bear the responsibilities and to uphold the disciplines which will maintain a free society. Among the basic freedoms to which men aspire that their lives might be full and uncramped, freedom from fear stands out as both a means and an end. A people who would build a nation in which strong, democratic institutions are firmly established as a guarantee against state-induced power must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear.”

Famous for her resoluteness and fortitude in campaigning for democracy in Burma despite being put under house arrest by the military government, Aung San Suu Kyi’s speeches have been widely touted as inspirational. In this renowned speech of hers, she delivers a potent message to Burmese to ‘liberate their minds from apathy and fear’ in the struggle for freedom and human rights in the country. To this day, she continues to tirelessly champion the welfare and freedom of Burmese in a state still overcome by vestiges of authoritarian rule.

34. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

“Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the centre of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talk about much in the great outside world of wanting and achieving…. The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day. That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.”

Esteemed writer David Foster Wallace gave a remarkably casual yet wise commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005 on the importance of learning to think beyond attaining a formal education. He encouraged hundreds of students to develop freedom of thought, a heart of sacrificial care for those in need of justice, and a consciousness that would serve them in discerning the right choices to make within a status quo that is easy to fall in line with. His captivating speech on what it meant to truly be ‘educated’ tugged at the hearts of many young and critical minds striving to achieve their dreams and change the world.

35. Questioning the Universe by Stephen Hawking

“This brings me to the last of the big questions: the future of the human race. If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy, we should make sure we survive and continue. But we are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history. Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill. But our genetic code still carries the selfish and aggressive instincts that were of survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million. Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space. The answers to these big questions show that we have made remarkable progress in the last hundred years. But if we want to continue beyond the next hundred years, our future is in space. That is why I am in favor of manned — or should I say, personned — space flight.”

Extraordinary theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking was a considerable influence upon modern physics and scientific research at large, inspiring people regardless of physical ability to aspire towards expanding knowledge in the world. In his speech on Questioning the Universe, he speaks of the emerging currents and issues in the scientific world like that of outer space, raising and answering big questions that have stumped great thinkers for years.

36. 2008 Democratic National Convention Speech by Michelle Obama

“I stand here today at the crosscurrents of that history — knowing that my piece of the American dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me. All of them driven by the same conviction that drove my dad to get up an hour early each day to painstakingly dress himself for work. The same conviction that drives the men and women I’ve met all across this country: People who work the day shift, kiss their kids goodnight, and head out for the night shift — without disappointment, without regret — that goodnight kiss a reminder of everything they’re working for. The military families who say grace each night with an empty seat at the table. The servicemen and women who love this country so much, they leave those they love most to defend it. The young people across America serving our communities — teaching children, cleaning up neighborhoods, caring for the least among us each and every day. People like Hillary Clinton, who put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters — and sons — can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher. People like Joe Biden, who’s never forgotten where he came from and never stopped fighting for folks who work long hours and face long odds and need someone on their side again. All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won’t do — that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be. That is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack’s journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope. That is why I love this country.”

Ever the favourite modern First Lady of America, Michelle Obama has delivered an abundance of iconic speeches in her political capacity, never forgetting to foreground the indomitable human spirit embodied in American citizens’ everyday lives and efforts towards a better world. The Obamas might just have been the most articulate couple of rhetoricians of their time, making waves as the first African American president and First Lady while introducing important policies in their period of governance.

37. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

“I’m not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope — Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.”

Now published into a book, Barack Obama’s heart-capturing personal story of transformational hope was first delivered as a speech on the merits of patriotic optimism and determination put to the mission of concrete change. He has come to be known as one of the most favoured and inspiring presidents in American history, and arguably the most skilled orators ever.

38. “Be Your Own Story” by Toni Morrison

“But I’m not going to talk anymore about the future because I’m hesitant to describe or predict because I’m not even certain that it exists. That is to say, I’m not certain that somehow, perhaps, a burgeoning ménage a trois of political interests, corporate interests and military interests will not prevail and literally annihilate an inhabitable, humane future. Because I don’t think we can any longer rely on separation of powers, free speech, religious tolerance or unchallengeable civil liberties as a matter of course. That is, not while finite humans in the flux of time make decisions of infinite damage. Not while finite humans make infinite claims of virtue and unassailable power that are beyond their competence, if not their reach. So, no happy talk about the future. … Because the past is already in debt to the mismanaged present. And besides, contrary to what you may have heard or learned, the past is not done and it is not over, it’s still in process, which is another way of saying that when it’s critiqued, analyzed, it yields new information about itself. The past is already changing as it is being reexamined, as it is being listened to for deeper resonances. Actually it can be more liberating than any imagined future if you are willing to identify its evasions, its distortions, its lies, and are willing to unleash its secrets.”

Venerated author and professor Toni Morrison delivered an impressively articulate speech at Wellesley College in 2004 to new graduates, bucking the trend by discussing the importance of the past in informing current and future ways of living. With her brilliance and eloquence, she blew the crowd away and renewed in them the capacity for reflection upon using the past as a talisman to guide oneself along the journey of life.

39. Nobel Speech by Malala Yousafzai

“Dear brothers and sisters, the so-called world of adults may understand it, but we children don’t. Why is it that countries which we call “strong” are so powerful in creating wars but so weak in bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy but giving books is so hard? Why is it that making tanks is so easy, but building schools is so difficult? As we are living in the modern age, the 21st century and we all believe that nothing is impossible. We can reach the moon and maybe soon will land on Mars. Then, in this, the 21st century, we must be determined that our dream of quality education for all will also come true. So let us bring equality, justice and peace for all. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. It is our duty. So we must work … and not wait. I call upon my fellow children to stand up around the world. Dear sisters and brothers, let us become the first generation to decide to be the last. The empty classrooms, the lost childhoods, wasted potential-let these things end with us.”

At a mere 16 years of age, Malala Yousafzai gave a speech on the severity of the state of human rights across the world, and wowed the world with her passion for justice at her tender age. She displayed tenacity and fearlessness speaking about her survival of an assassination attempt for her activism for gender equality in the field of education. A model of courage to us all, her speech remains an essential one in the fight for human rights in the 21st century.

40. Final Commencement Speech by Michelle Obama

“If you are a person of faith, know that religious diversity is a great American tradition, too. In fact, that’s why people first came to this country — to worship freely. And whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh — these religions are teaching our young people about justice, and compassion, and honesty. So I want our young people to continue to learn and practice those values with pride. You see, our glorious diversity — our diversities of faiths and colors and creeds — that is not a threat to who we are, it makes us who we are. So the young people here and the young people out there: Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t matter, or like you don’t have a place in our American story — because you do. And you have a right to be exactly who you are. But I also want to be very clear: This right isn’t just handed to you. No, this right has to be earned every single day. You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms. … It is our fundamental belief in the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices of doubt and division, of anger and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the life of this country. Our hope that if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves, then we can be whatever we dream, regardless of the limitations that others may place on us. The hope that when people see us for who we truly are, maybe, just maybe they, too, will be inspired to rise to their best possible selves.”

Finally, we have yet another speech by Michelle Obama given in her final remarks as First Lady – a tear-inducing event for many Americans and even people around the world. In this emotional end to her political tenure, she gives an empowering, hopeful, expressive speech to young Americans, exhorting them to take hold of its future in all their diversity and work hard at being their best possible selves.

Amidst the bleak era of our current time with Trump as president of the USA, not only Michelle Obama, but all 40 of these amazing speeches can serve as sources of inspiration and hope to everyone – regardless of their identity or ambitions. After hearing these speeches, which one’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Article Written By: Kai Xin Koh

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US has long history of college protests: Here's what happened in the past

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have taken over parts of college campuses across the U.S., the latest in a decades-long string of protests ignited by political activism — some of which have spiraled into violence amid police crackdowns .

In the past, free speech sit-ins quickly escalated into massive rallies, Vietnam War college demonstrations turned deadly and U.S. civil rights protests ended in mass arrests.

The circumstances of each protest were different, but the story is familiar: Young people demanded changes on their campuses or in the world — and their impassioned demonstrations often escalated amid clashes with authorities.

Columbia , the university at the center of the current wave of protests, has even seen similar protests before, including during the Vietnam War in 1968. Demonstrations led the university to end classified war research and stop military recruitment, among other changes, wrote Rosalind Rosenberg, a professor of history at Barnard College, for Barnard Magazine .

Today's demonstrators also have specific changes in mind, often involving divestment from Israel , citing the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinian people who died in Gaza amid Israel's bombardment and ground assault. That military campaign was triggered by Hamas' incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7, when about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and more than 240 people were taken hostage.

But as campus authorities react swiftly, citing safety concerns and calling in police to break up encampents, it's unclear if or how the current protests will influence the Israel-Hamas war.

USA TODAY revisited four monumental campus protests to explain how college protests have become a staple of American life and often influence the outcomes of political strife. Here's a look at how previous campus protests unfolded — and whether they were successful in their causes.

University of California, Berkeley: Free Speech in 1960s

At the University of California Berkeley starting in 1964, students protested the university's limits on political activities and free speech during the civil rights movement and Vietnam-war era.

"In the wake of  McCarthyism’s  anti-Communist sentiments during the 1950s, public universities in California had enacted numerous regulations limiting  students’ political activities ," wrote Karen Aichinger for the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee University. "At the University of California, Berkeley, student groups taking part in any on- or off-campus political activities were banned from campus."

What transpired were "small sit-ins and demonstrations" that "escalated into a series of large-scale rallies and protests demanding full constitutional rights on campus," reads the UC Berkeley website.

Nearly 800 students were arrested by local police as a result.

The students' protest ultimately worked in their favor. The university eventually overturned policies that would restrict the content of speech or advocacy, according to the college.

"Today, the Movement stands as a symbol of the importance of protecting and preserving free speech and academic freedom," reads the UC Berkeley website.

Kent State University in Ohio: Vietnam War in 1970

The most prolific university protest of the Vietnam War happened at Kent State University in Ohio in May 1970. Students started protesting the Vietnam War and the U.S. invasion of Cambodia on their campus on May 2. Two days later, the National Guard opened fire into a sea of antiwar protesters and passerbys. The soldiers killed four young people – Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Knox Schroeder – and injured several others with their violence.

"The impact of the shootings was dramatic," wrote Jerry Lewis and Thomas Hensley in an article for Kent State University. "The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close."

The shootings also influenced national politics, Lewis and Hensley wrote.

"In The Ends of Power, (H.R.) Haldeman, (a top aide to President Richard Nixon), states that the shootings at Kent State began the slide into Watergate, eventually destroying the Nixon administration," the article reads.

Today, the protest and shootings "certainly come to symbolize the deep political and social divisions that so sharply divided the country during the Vietnam War era," Lewis and Hensley wrote.

Jackson State College in Mississippi: Racial Injustice in 1970

Days after the shootings at Kent State, police opened gunfire at a college dormitory Jackson State College in Mississippi, a school with a predominantly Black student population.

Black students there were protesting racial injustice, including how they were treated by white drivers speeding on campus, according to the university .

Police received a call that Black young people were throwing rocks at white drivers near the campus. Police arrived at the scene and shot hundreds of bullets into Alexander Hall, according to an FBI report, NPR reported . Police killed two students – Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green – and injured 12 others. The college also canceled its graduation due to the killings and unrest.

At a 2021 commencement ceremony, the university honored 74 of the students who were unable to walk the stage in 1970, NBC reported . At the commencement ceremony, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said police “unjustly gunned down two innocent young Black men, terrorized and traumatized a community of Black students and committed one of the gravest sins in our city’s history," NBC reported .

The killings at Jackson State College and Kent State University national sparked outrage. College students across the nation protested on their campuses, according to the Zinn Education Project , a collaboration of historical content from the groups  Rethinking Schools  and  Teaching for Change .

"The spring of 1970 saw the first general student strike in the history of the United States, students from over four hundred colleges and universities calling off classes to protest the invasion of Cambodia, the Kent State affair, the killing of two black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi, and the continuation of the war," wrote Howard Zinn in the book "You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train ."

Angus Johnston, an adjunct assistant professor at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York and a historian of student activism, said after both events: "There was a period of about 30 years or so where it tended to be fairly unlikely that campuses would respond with mass arrests even in the case of admin building occupations."

Nationwide: South Africa anti-Apartheid protests in 1985

Another form of popular college campus protest occurred in the 1980's. Students across the country wanted their colleges to cut ties with groups that supported from the South African apartheid.

"Under apartheid, race restricted every aspect of life for South Africans who were Black, Indian and colored — a multiracial classification created by the government," The New York Times reported . "There were strict limits on where they could live, attend school, work and travel.

Columbia University was at the center of the movement. Students led by the Coalition for a Free South Africa at Columbia University "blockaded Hamilton Hall, the university’s administrative building, leading to the first successful divestiture campaign at the university," reads a summary of the events from the Zinn Education Project .

There was less pushback for protesters during this time, due to a “certain embarrassment among elites in the United States that there was complicity with South Africa’s white government,” said Daniel Farber, a history professor at the University of Kansas who has studied American activism, reports Vox Media .

Columbia University was one of the first colleges to divest from doing business with South Africa and 155 universities followed suit. U.S. Congress also passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986, which aimed to prevent new trade and investment between the nation and South Africa.

What is the future of college protests in America?

Free speech experts told USA TODAY that students should continue to peacefully protest in open campus spaces to avoid conflict.

Alex Morey, the director of campus rights advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, encourages universities to remain neutral in times of unrest and not to call in authorities unless a demonstration turns violent. The national nonprofit defends Americans rights to free speech and thought.

"Peaceful protest is a hallmark of a healthy speech climate on American college campuses and it has been for decades – whether it's the Berkeley free speech movement, or students protesting the Vietnam War era or civil rights," Morey said. "Generations of students have felt passionately about certain issues and the open air places on campuses are great places to support their views."

Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected] .  Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.

Oral History Offers a Model for How Schools Can Introduce Students to Complex Topics

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As historian David McCullough said, history is the study of who we are and why we are the way we are.

That’s why teachers in the Memphis-Shelby County public schools, as racially isolated now as they were when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed school segregation, have launched a curriculum to introduce their students to the 13 children who helped integrate these Tennessee city schools in 1961.

Memphis-Shelby County teachers, researchers from the University of Memphis, and the local Memphis 13 Foundation worked with seven of the 10 surviving members of the Memphis 13—a group of Black 1st graders who peacefully enrolled in four all-white schools at the height of the civil rights era—to develop teacher training, lesson plans, and oral history activities for elementary students.

“Just going home and talking to grandparents or talking to the elders in their community was never going to be enough,” said Anna Falkner, an assistant professor at the University of Memphis and a co-developer of the curriculum, “because it wouldn’t provide [students] with the context that they needed in order to understand what happened and understand the ongoing effects of, for example, the way segregation looks today.”

The Memphis 13 project offers a model for how schools can introduce complex subjects to students, even in early grades, while also giving them opportunities to investigate social studies in their communities

“Really consider the context,” Falkner said. “What are the specifics that can help students understand their Southern context or the context wherever they are and what that means in relation to the larger experience. It’s not just focusing on that national narrative, not just sharing Brown v. Board , but really thinking about, what did this look like in my backyard? What did it look like for my family members or my community members?”

For example, teachers met with surviving members of the Memphis 13 to identify projects for students in 2nd and 5th grades, when Tennessee social studies standards cover civil rights issues. Sheila Malone, one of the students who first integrated into the district’s Bruce Elementary as a 1st grader, suggested that 5th graders record the experiences of others who had attended the district schools during desegregation.

“[Malone] wanted the students to go back home and share the story and have intergenerational conversations about the history of our schools,” said Gina Tillis, the director of curriculum and instruction for the Memphis 13 Foundation, who co-developed the Memphis curriculum. “One of the things that I’ve noticed with the members of Memphis 13 is, as they’re sharing their stories, they’re unpacking memories that have been silenced. … This is a really powerful space for students to reflect on their education, their parents’ and their elders’ education, and what we’re doing collectively to create a more inclusive and equitable school system.”

Second graders, for example, watch documentaries and review news accounts about the school desegregation decisions in Memphis and other cities, identifying ways children their age participated. In 5th grade , students review collected oral history interviews and collect their own, as well as analyze modern policies related to school integration. Tillis said the project plans to expand the curriculum to 8th and 11th grades in the future.

Building school integration history projects

Emerging technology has made it easier for educators to engage their students in active historical research, according to the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University in Ohio. The center, for example, has developed apps to help students record interviews and archive historical documents.

Efforts like those of the Memphis 13 helped integrate public schools in the decades following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education . However, these trends began to reverse in the 1990s and have worsened to this day, even as the overall public school population has grown more diverse. Studies find schools serving high populations of students of color continue to have on average fewer educational opportunities —including challenging courses, experienced teachers, and other resources—compared with schools serving mostly white students.

While the Memphis 13 are well known, Tillis stressed that schools can use community history to engage students regardless of where they are. “Everyone has a school desegregation story. Every district, every person ... and every district story is unique,” she said. “It’s, I think, one of the most powerful stories to share because it offers you this platform to really deconstruct what’s going on in our schools.”

Researchers recommended that schools interested in developing similar projects:

• Work with local historians and groups to identify social studies topics and events that had strong effects on the local community. This can include school district librarians or archivists, for example.
• Provide teachers with training in both the historical context and strategies and tools for documenting community history.
• Focus on topics that encourage students to make connections between history and current issues in their community.

“One of the lessons that we’re hoping to share with other school districts is just the power of listening to your community members who are historians, even if they don’t work for the local archive: the neighbor down the street who kept all the newspapers, the person who knew everybody in the neighborhood,” Falkner said. “Finding those community members and making a meaningful way for them to participate in the curriculum development is the most important piece.”

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ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SENIOR SERVICES’ UNIVERSITY EXPRESS PROGRAM KICKS OFF 2024 SPRING SEMESTER

University Express program offers free classes for lifelong learners ages 55+ with topics across a wide array of interests

Erie County Executive Poloncarz leads off History series with discussion on FDR’s “The Four Freedoms” speech Tuesday April 30 at 6:00 PM  

ERIE COUNTY, NY— The Erie County Department of Senior Services has announced the schedule for the Spring Semester of the popular University Express program, which offers free classes for lifelong learners ages 55 and older. University Express offers 172 unique class topics over a total of approximately 374 sessions for the Spring 2024 Semester. Classes are designed to stimulate the mind and provide opportunities to build social networks, reducing social isolation and bringing people together around subjects that interest them. There are both in-person and online course selections taking place in a variety of locations countywide. Attendees are required to register with the site at which the class they wish to attend is being held. Class times, dates and locations, information and registration can be found at the University Express website.

On Tuesday, April 30 the University Express spring program will kick off at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historical Site in Buffalo as the first speaker of the semester, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz, will discuss the “Four Freedoms” speech presented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of his 1941 State of the Union address. Poloncarz will cover what resulted from the speech, its impact on American life, and how its principles still apply in today’s world.

In addition to History, other class categories include Current Events, Wellness & Personal Enrichment, Law & Finance, Natural Science, and more. Classes are instructed by local peers, professionals, and organizations whose knowledge and skillsets are relevant to each topic. Each semester, the number of classes offered virtually continues to grow thanks to efforts made by the Department of Senior Services to incorporate more technology into local Senior Center programming. More virtual classes mean more opportunities for older adults who are homebound or have limited means of transportation to participate, helping them to remain socially active in their communities.

Class catalogs can be found at participating University Express locations, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Branches, and all Erie County Stay Fit Dining sites. Residents can also call the Erie County Department of Senior Services NY Connects line at 716-858-8526 for additional information. 

Biden-Trump Gaffe Tracker: Biden Repeats Disputed Claim He Was Arrested During Civil Rights-Era Protests

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As concerns have grown that former President Donald Trump, 77, and President Joe Biden, 81, are too old to serve another term amid repeated rhetorical missteps since announcing their campaigns, here’s a list of the most notable recent gaffes.

US President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Hagerstown Regional ... [+] Airport in Hagerstown, Maryland, on March 5, 2024. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden (April 26) Biden repeated a heavily disputed claim that he was arrested while standing on the porch with a Black family who was moving in to Lynnfield, Delaware as it was being desegregated and protesters gathered outside, recalling to radio host Howard Stern he was “brought back” home by the police—previous fact-checks by multiple outlets into Biden’s oft-repeated claim have unearthed newspaper articles from 1959 reporting arrests at protests outside two homes of Black families near where Biden was living at the time, but there’s no evidence Biden was among those taken into custody.

Biden (April 24) Biden appeared to read out loud a direction from his teleprompter to “pause” during a speech before the North America Building Trade Union: “Imagine what we can do next, four more years, pause,” Biden said, before the crowd began chanting “four more years,” a frequent Biden rallying cry.

Biden (April 17) Biden twice suggested during a visit to a Scranton, Penn., World War II memorial honoring his uncle, Ambrose Finnegan, that his body may have been eaten—by people, saying, “[H]e got shot down in New Guinea, and they never found the body because there used to be a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of the New Guinea.” But the official military account of his death states that his Air Force plane crashed into the ocean off the coast of New Guinea and that neither his body nor the aircraft were recovered.

Biden (April 16) In an interview with a local CBS affiliate in Birmingham, Ala., Biden said, “I made it clear to the Israelis—don’t move on Haifa”—likely referring to Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip city where millions of Palestinians have taken refuge and the U.S. has warned Israel not to carry out a potentially devastating invasion. Haifa is a major port city in northern Israel.

Trump (March 25) Trump also claimed the “top person” at the NYSE was “very, very upset” and “mortified” that TMTG did not trade on the exchange, and claimed “he said ‘I’m losing business because of New York, because people don’t want to be in New York and they don’t want to go into the New York Stock Exchange,’” but, it is unclear who Trump is referring to, as both the exchange’s president, Lynn Martin, and board chair Sharon Bowen, are women.

Trump (March 25) At a press conference following a hearing for his hush money trial , Trump claimed that Trump Media & Technology Company, which owns his Truth Social network and went public after a deal was approved last week, decided not to trade on the New York Stock Exchange due to his ongoing court cases: “the New York Stock Exchange wants to have us badly, and I told them ’we can’t do the New York Stock Exchange, you’re treated too badly in New York,’” but Trump Media began trading on Tuesday on the Nasdaq stock exchange, which is also located in New York.

Trump (March 16): At a rally in Dayton, Ohio, Trump again mistakenly referred to former President Barack Obama, this time possibly confusing himself with Obama, though it remains unclear what he might have meant: “Joe Biden won against Barack Hussein Obama, has anyone ever heard of him?” Trump asked the crowd, before adding, “every swing state, Biden beat Obama but in every other state, he got killed.”

Trump (March 9): At a speech in Rome, Georgia, Trump claimed “the polls are rigged” while discussing his appeal to suburban housewives, before abruptly backtracking and saying “disregard that last statement, I love the polls so much.”

Biden (State of the Union speech, March 7): the president misidentified Laken Riley , the student murdered on the University of Georgia campus, calling her “Lanken,” while holding up a pin with her name on it.

Biden (State of the Union speech, March 7): the president briefly said the 2021 Capitol riot took place on July 6, before correcting himself and saying “January 6.”

Biden (State of the Union speech, March 7): after speaking about capping prescription drug prices, Biden made an off-the-cuff remark and invited Congress to fly with him and see lower prices for their medications in “Toronto, Berlin, Moscow—I mean, excuse me—well, even Moscow, probably.”

Trump (March 2): Trump seemed to confuse former President Barack Obama with President Joe Biden—alleging during a rally in Virginia Putin has “so little respect for Obama that he’s starting to throw around the nuclear word,” marking at least the eighth time in recent months it’s happened.

Trump (Feb. 24): In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump appeared to endorse Biden, telling the audience he agrees with Russian President Vladimir Putin in preferring Biden over Trump.

Trump (Feb. 24): In the same CPAC speech, Trump appeared to forget the name of his wife, Melania Trump, responding to loud applause in the crowd by saying “Mercedes, that’s pretty good!”—though his campaign claimed it was a reference to Mercedes Schlapp, a political commentator and the wife of American Conservative Union (CPAC organizer) chair Matt Schlapp, who he mentioned later in the speech.

Biden (Feb. 8): Biden referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as “the president of Mexico,” ironically during a press conference where he contested a scathing report by Special Counsel Robert Hur that depicted Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

Biden (Feb. 7): Biden referred to German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the late German leader Helmut Kohl twice while speaking at campaign events in New York, days after confusing French President Emmanuel Macron with his late predecessor Francois Mitterrand during a speech in Las Vegas.

Trump (Jan. 19): Trump confused his sole remaining opponent in the GOP primary race, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a New Hampshire campaign speech, telling the crowd “Nikki Haley was in charge of security” on Jan. 6, 2020, as he has repeatedly sought, without evidence, to allege that Pelosi rejected his offer to send more troops to the Capitol that day.

Biden (Nov. 20): The president mistakenly referred to Taylor Swift as “Britney [Spears]” while attempting a joke at the White House’s annual turkey pardoning ceremony, which took place on his 81st birthday.

Trump (Oct. 23): Trump confused the leaders of Turkey and Hungary in a New Hampshire campaign speech and botched a geographical reference, telling the crowd Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the leader of Turkey, and stating that Turkey shares a “front” with Russia (neither Hungary nor Turkey border Russia and Turkey’s president is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan).

Biden (Sept. 11): Biden falsely stated he was in New York on Sept. 12, 2001 while delivering an anniversary speech to troops in Alaska, claiming he surveyed the damage at Ground Zero the day after the attacks (then-Sen. Biden actually visited Ground Zero on Sept. 20, 2001).

Biden (June 27): Biden has repeatedly mixed up the wars in Ukraine and Iraq, including twice in 24 hours in June, after telling a crowd in Florida in November inflation was tied to “a war in Iraq,” then quickly corrected himself, saying “excuse me, the war in Ukraine,” a misstep that came moments before he wrongly stated his son Beau Biden, who served a year in Iraq in the Delaware Army National Guard, died there (Beau Biden died of brain cancer in the U.S. in 2015).

Key Background

Biden is the oldest president in history and Trump would be the second oldest if he were elected again in November. Though the two are just four years apart, polls consistently show Biden’s age is a far greater concern for voters than Trump’s, including a February Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll that found 82% of voters said Biden or both candidates were too old, compared to 47% who said the same about Trump or both candidates. The age concerns, exacerbated by the candidates’ various rhetorical missteps, have fueled calls for one, or both candidates, to drop out of the race, including a February op-ed and podcast by New York Times’ writer Ezra Klein.Trump—perhaps aware that criticizing Biden’s age could appear hypocritical—has repeatedly said Biden isn’t too old to be president, but is too “incompetent.” Biden, meanwhile, has sought to flip the script on concerns about his own age by highlighting Trump’s missteps on the campaign trail and making jokes about his own age. In an appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” earlier this year, Biden took a jab at Trump for appearing to mix up Melania and Mercedes Schlapp, telling Meyers that Trump is “about as old as I am, but he can’t remember his wife’s name.”

Biden’s verbal missteps have been coupled with trips and falls throughout his tenure, often on the stairs of Air Force One, that have heightened concerns about his mental and physical fitness. In one particularly concerning incident, Biden took a hard fall on stage at an Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado in June last year, an incident his team blamed on a sandbag on stage.

What To Watch For

Biden and Trump are poised for a historic, and closely contested rematch, in November with polls showing Biden trailing Trump by less than half of a percentage point, according to Real Clear Politics’ polling average .

Experts have cautioned against reading into the candidates’ verbal slip-ups on the campaign trail, arguing they can’t necessarily be attributed to old age. "We make mistakes. The probability of slip-ups rises as we get older. That has nothing to do with judgment," S. Jay Olshansky, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told Reuters, adding “Someone commenting on Trump turning right when he should have turned left? Big deal. Tripping? Join the club. A misspoken word? It happens to all of us. None of us would survive a 24/7 camera."

Chief Critic

Biden, who has a penchant for gaffes dating back to his 36 years in the Senate, has argued his age is symbolic of his decades of experience, telling reporters in response to the Hur report “I know what the hell I am doing.” He released results of his annual physical exam earlier this year that found he is “a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit” to serve as president, White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote. The test did not include a cognitive exam, something White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre argued wasn’t necessary, telling reporters “he passes a cognitive test every day,” referring to the rigors of the presidency. Trump, meanwhile, has claimed he purposely confuses Obama and Biden and Haley and Pelosi, claiming Haley and Pelosi are “interchangeable” and alluding to the unfounded right-wing conspiracy that Obama is secretly pulling the strings at the White House.

Surprising Fact

Trump and his allies have repeatedly called for Biden to undergo cognitive testing, but it’s unlikely any attempts to mandate the tests would pass legal muster, based on the qualifications laid out in the Constitution for holding the office of the presidency. Trump has said repeatedly he’s “aced” two cognitive exams, but he has not released the formal results of either report.

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