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122 american government research paper topics for you.

American government research paper topics lie under the political science category in schools, universities, and colleges. Many educators ask learners to write about these topics when pursuing political studies.

But, writing about these ideas is not an easy task due to the dynamic nature of politics. Ideally, political tides keep shifting every day. However, students should write about fresh and original ideas to impress their educators and earn top grades.

American Government Research Paper Outline

After picking a topic and researching it, a learner should write a paper with the following sections.

• Introduction: This section should introduce your topic to the readers and briefly tell the readers what you’ll be discussing in the paper. It should also have your thesis statement or problem statement.
• Literature review: Here, your paper should highlight relevant studies relating to your topics. Include information about past studies that you have used to research your title.
• Methodology: This section should tell readers about your research methods and how you analyzed information about your topic.
• Findings: Tell readers about your research findings in this section. You can describe and evaluate the results.
• Conclusion: Summarize everything and tell the audience how your findings support your thesis statement. Also, recommend or suggest further studies on the topic if necessary.

Selecting interesting American government paper topics is perhaps, the essential thing when working on this assignment. That’s because you will spend a lot of time gathering and analyzing information. If you pick a dull topic, you won’t enjoy working on your paper. Here are exciting issues to consider when writing a piece about the American government.

Exciting American Government Topics

If the educator didn’t assign you topics for your American government essays, pick titles that you will find exciting to work with from the beginning to the end. Here are exciting ideas to consider for your papers.

• Does the federal government have too much, enough, or the right power amount?
• Effects of the 14th Amendment on the United States’ civil liberties
• Why the Equal Rights Amendment failed
• Direct democracy vs. representative democracy
• Should the law extend democratic decision-making to the government, workplace, and school?
• How New Jersey and Virginia plans led to the Great Compromise
• What should the U.S. constitution change about the government?
• States versus the federal government- Which deserve more power?
• Which programs can compel more people to participate in local and presidential elections?
• Is gerrymandering dangerous to presidential elections and voting?
• A comparison of the United States’ political parties- What are their election policies?
• Should the government require schools to secure a warrant for searching students’ properties?
• Does the First Amendment provide the fundamental right?
• Which branch in the federal government wields the most power?
• How presidents have used the executive orders in the U.S. history
• How many executive orders has the current President issued?
• Should congress members vote by following the people’s will or their conscience?
• Should the congress members have term limits?
• A comparison of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate
• Why do some people call the media the 4th branch of government?
• How social media has strengthened political parties in the U.S.
• What are the primary sources of funds for political campaigns in the U.S?

These are compelling topics that will captivate your professor or teacher to read your paper. Nevertheless, research your idea extensively to develop a winning essay.

Legislative Branch of Government Topics

Perhaps, you’re interested in a topic about the legislature. In that case, this category comprises topics you’ll find fascinating to work on from the beginning to the end.

• The role of advocates, opponents, and experts in the rejection or passage of a bill
• Why does the number of subcommittees and committees matter?
• Describe the legislative process that the Senate follows
• Why does the decisive vote by the Vice President matter to the Senate?
• The 17th Amendment ratification in 1913
• Why representatives should elect their house speaker
• The essence of the 25th Amendment to the legislature and the house
• How effective is the Senate in committee hearings and inquiries
• Why the Congress should have powers to remove a seating President
• Passing a bill- What is the origin of the two-third majority rule?
• The importance of the Senate in approving presidential appointments
• Why does the 25-year age limit matter when vying?
• Why house representatives should sever for over two terms
• The essence of the census in determining the representatives’ number
• A critical evaluation of the Senate and House of Representatives
• Is the American legislature an accurate reflection of women’s representation?
• Is the United States Congress adequately constituted?

Consider these ideas and then explore them through research to develop informative papers. Aim to provide relevant and valuable information through your essay to impress the educator.

U.S. Government Research Paper Topics for College & University Students

Perhaps, you’re in college or university, and you need a topic for your research paper. In that case, consider the following titles for your essays.

• How reliable are presidential election polls?
• American government’s public relations and their essence in its success
• Clinton and Bush war doctrines
• What is the U.S. government’s stance on immigration?
• Why the 2008 U.S. Presidential election was a biased female politician’s depiction in the mass media
• How the constitution balances power between the government branches
• How the U.S. government influence the American democracy
• How the government’s bureaucratic processes influence modern America
• How the U.S. government’s foreign policies affect the European politics
• The government’s role in fighting against terrorism
• How political scandals affect the U.S. government
• How divisions in the U.S. government affect its functioning
• Foreign policy by the U.S. government- Guns or words?
• The U.S. government and church interconnections- How do they influence society morals?
• The U.S. government policy on speech freedom in modern society
• Should direct voting replace the Electoral College system?
• The pros and cons of the U.S. government policy on marijuana legalization
• The U.S. government censorship- Should citizens watch whatever they want?
• An empiric study of money distribution by the U.S. government
• What is the U.S. government’s policy on outsourcing?
• Describe the U.S. government’s policies about the web
• Does the U.S. government have a religious aspect?
• What are the issues facing the Federal government in the U.S.?
• How the U.S. government policies affect social inequality
• The U.S. government’s main principles and their implementation during the XXI century

Some of the topics in this category require high-level research to produce quality papers. Nevertheless, you can write a good essay if you take the time to research your preferred idea.

Government Research Paper Topics about the Executive Arm

Maybe you’re interested in the executive arm of the U.S. government. In that case, explore these topics about this branch of the U.S. government.

• Why the Department of Defense is the most significant arm of the U.S. government
• Does the committee have the correct number of departments to meet the U.S. people’s needs?
• Why is the cabinet comprised of the closest confidants of the President?
• Is it right for the U.S. president to select the cabinet members alone?
• Why the White House Chief of Staff has to be the closest adviser of the President?
• Why do Vice Presidents have a unique approach to their role?
• What is the national relevance of the President’s Oval Office?
• Is it necessary for the First Family and the President to live in the White House?
• Is the congressional delegation during the electoral vote a representation of the people’s will?
• What is the meaning of the State of the Union Address for a President?
• What are the President’s powers?
• Explain how the federal government administers and enforces federal laws
• Does the President have the ability to appoint independent national commissions heads?
• How the Congress affects overwriting a President’s veto
• Should the constitution allow the President unlimited powers to extend amnesties and pardons for federal crimes?
• Advantages and disadvantages of the Affordable Care Act by President Obama

Most research paper topics in this category revolve around the cabinet, vice president, and President. Nevertheless, they can be the basis of good academic papers.

Politics Topics to Write about in High School

If looking for political topics for high school, this section has the best ideas for you.

• Is it right or wrong for the U.S government to monitor the public?
• Government incentives and globalization
• Government aid and U.S. airways
• What is the difference between a parliamentary government and a presidential government?
• Should the U.S. government regulate the internet?
• How religion affects the U.S. government
• Business and government relations
• Does the government control equality?
• Influence of government policies on wealth and income distribution
• Local and state government accounting
• What is the role of government in the market economy?
• Does the constitution give citizens obligations and duties to the U.S. government?
• What are the principles of the United States government?
• Does the U.S. government control the media?
• Issues facing the U.S. federal government

These are exciting topics in American politics and the government for high school students. Nevertheless, learners should research their topics extensively to write quality papers.

Questions about American Government

Perhaps, you’re looking for questions you can answer in your paper about the American government. In that case, here are brilliant ideas to consider.

• Between representative and direct democracy, which is the best option for Americans?
• What can convince more people to participate in the U.S. election?
• Between the federal and the state government, which is the most powerful and why?
• Who funds political campaigns in the U.S.?
• Is the media the fourth U.S. government branch?
• Do Congress members follow their voters’ will?
• How do the U.S. presidents use their executive privileges?
• Why are presidential election polls unreliable?
• Does the U.S. federal government have excess power?
• What led to the failure of the Equal Rightnecessarynt in the Senate?
• Why is the U.S First Amendment so important to Americans’ human rights?
• Is reducing the federal budget deficit important?
• Has the U.S. government contributed to citizens’ inequality?
• How does religion affect the U.S. government and citizens?
• What are the effects of the ruling party on the U.S. government?
• What is the U.S. government’s role in the American economy?

These questions can be the basis of excellent American government research topics. Nevertheless, research your preferred idea to develop a winning paper.

Public Policy Research Paper Topics

Perhaps, you want to write about a topic that touches on the public interest. In that case, consider the ideas in this category.

• Should the U.S. government legalize marijuana?
• Should the U.S. government change the public healthcare policy?
• Should the government ban alcohol commercials from television?
• Should state governments tackle the high divorce rate?
• Ways for the U.S. government to address the gun ownership issue?
• Does the U.S. government infringe on the citizens’ privacy through public surveillance?
• Should the U.S. government regulate university and college education fees?
• How does the U.S. government benefit from the high number of people completing higher education?
• Should the U.S. government require immigrants to learn the national language?
• Should the U.S. government make vaccines compulsory?

Writing an American research paper can be fun if you pick the right topic. Therefore, take your time to identify the best issues to write about, and you will earn the top grades in your class.

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332 American Government Essay Topics & Research Ideas

18 January 2024

last updated

American Government essay topics present a comprehensive spectrum for exploration, each varying in depth and complexity. Some themes may include the functionality of constitutional democracy in the United States (U.S.), the examination of civil liberties and rights, or the intricacies of the federal system. Students may delve into the analysis of influential Supreme Court decisions, the evolving role of the Presidency, or the workings of Congressional lawmaking. Contemporary subjects, like campaign finance reform, immigration policy, or the impact of media on political discourse, are also important. Unraveling the politics of environmental policy or the checks and balances system’s practicality offers bright themes. In turn, investigating the role of lobbyists and interest groups or dissecting the dynamics of public opinion and voting behavior can give intriguing insights. Thus, American government essay topics not only foster a deeper understanding of the nation’s political landscape but also stimulate critical thinking and analytical skills.

Top Government Essay Topics

• Privatization of Public Services: Merits and Criticisms
• Freedom of Information Laws: Transparency and Accountability in Government
• Understanding E-Governance: Potential and Pitfalls
• Interrogating Federalism: Power Dynamics in Multi-Tier Governments
• Political Polarization and Governance: A Detailed Analysis
• Digital Surveillance: Privacy Concerns and State Interests
• Immigration Policies: Comparative Analysis of Different Governments
• Climate Change Policies: Effectiveness and Implementation Challenges
• Political Accountability in the Age of Social Media
• Public Health and Governance: Lessons From Pandemics
• Decentralization in Government: A Thorough Examination
• State Autonomy vs. Federal Overreach: Tensions and Resolutions
• Analyzing the Concept of Sovereignty in the 21st Century
• Justice System Reforms: Understanding the Need and Potential Approaches
• Social Welfare Programs: Effectiveness and Public Reception
• Education Policy and Governance: Ensuring Equal Opportunities
• Tensions Between Civil Liberties and National Security
• Emergency Powers: Necessary Tool or Slippery Slope to Authoritarianism
• Campaign Finance Reforms: Balancing Transparency and Political Freedom
• Understanding the Separation of Powers: Checks and Balances in Action

Easy Government Essay Topics

• Understanding Democracy: Basic Concepts and Principles
• Different Types of Government: A Comparative Study
• Voting Systems: Pros and Cons of First-Past-the-Post
• Government’s Part in Economic Development: An Overview
• Public Health: Government’s Responsibilities and Duties
• Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens: A Closer Look
• Elections: Understanding the Electoral College System
• Why Do We Need a Constitution? An Elementary Explanation
• Importance of Civic Education in a Democracy
• Federal vs. State Powers: An Introduction
• Social Security: Functions and Challenges
• Government Regulation of Media: Freedom vs. Responsibility
• Public Transportation and Government’s Involvement: An Overview
• Differences Between Presidential and Parliamentary Systems of Government
• Local Governments: Responsibilities and Functions
• Citizen Participation in Government: Why Does It Matter?
• Understanding Public Policy: A Basic Analysis
• Freedom of Speech: Government and Constitutional Protection
• National Security and Individual Privacy: Striking a Balance

Interesting Government Essay Topics

• Privatization vs. Public Ownership: Theoretical Considerations
• Decentralization of Power: Unraveling Its Implications
• State Surveillance: Dilemma of Privacy vs. Security
• National Debts: Examining Their Economic and Political Effects
• Monarchies in the 21st Century: An Analytical Perspective
• Cryptocurrency Regulation: Assessing Different Government Approaches
• Digital Governance: Opportunities and Pitfalls
• Constitutional Interpretation: Originalism vs. Living Constitution Theory
• Understanding Federalism: A Comparative Analysis
• Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence in Governance
• Climate Change Policy: National vs. International Responsibilities
• Democracy and Technology: Influence of Social Media on Governance
• Public Administration Reforms: Lessons From Around the World
• Immigration Policy: Factors Influencing Government Decisions
• Separation of Powers: An Inquiry Into Its Real-World Implications
• Fiscal Policy during Recessions: Strategies and Outcomes
• Authoritarian Regimes in a Digital Age: Unpacking the Complexities
• Intelligence Agencies: Examining Oversight and Control Mechanisms
• Social Equity and Government Policy: Challenges and Opportunities
• Political Dynasties: Assessing Their Influence on Democratic Governance

U.S. Government Research Paper Topics for College

• Gun Control Policies: Analyzing the Effectiveness in the U.S.
• Unraveling the Complexity of U.S. Immigration Reform
• Affordable Care Act: A Comprehensive Analysis Post Implementation
• Effects of Social Media on the U.S. Electoral Process
• Campaign Finance Laws in the United States: A Closer Look
• Government Shutdowns: Causes and Consequences in the U.S.
• Federalism in the United States: Changing Dynamics
• Dissecting the Patriot Act: Implications for Civil Liberties
• Constitutional Rights and Digital Privacy: An American Perspective
• Polarization in American Politics: Causes and Effects
• U.S. Tax Reform: An Analysis of Recent Changes
• Influence of Lobbying on Law-Making in the United States
• Supreme Court Appointments: Politics and Consequences
• Federal Reserve’s Monetary Policy: A Comprehensive Review
• Investigating the Role of Super PACs in U.S. Elections
• American Infrastructure Spending: Assessing Need and Impact
• Analyzing the U.S. Response to Climate Change
• Understanding the U.S. Electoral College: Pros and Cons
• U.S. Drug Policy: Lessons Learned From the War on Drugs

U.S. Government Research Paper Topics for University

• Native American Treaties and U.S. Government: A Detailed Study
• Rise of Partisanship: An Exploration Into U.S. Politics
• Education Policy in the United States: A Critical Assessment
• American Antitrust Legislation: A Review and Analysis
• U.S. Military Strategy in the Post-Cold War Era: A Comprehensive Study
• Housing Policy and Inequality in the United States: A Detailed Examination
• U.S. Trade Agreements: Analyzing Their Success and Failures
• Unfolding American Diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific Region: An In-Depth Review
• Citizens United Decision: An Analysis of Its Implications on U.S. Elections
• Racial Profiling and Law Enforcement in the U.S.: A Study on Systemic Bias
• Space Exploration Policies of the U.S.: A Comprehensive Overview
• Gerrymandering in the United States: Analyzing Its Impacts on Representation
• Public Health Policy in the U.S.: Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic
• Women in U.S. Politics: A Study on Representation and Influence
• Privatization in the U.S.: A Critical Analysis of Its Effects on Public Services
• U.S. Welfare Policy: An Evaluation of Its Efficacy and Inclusivity
• Privacy Rights in the U.S.: Analyzing the Balance Between Security and Liberty
• Minimum Wage Policies in the United States: A Comparative Study
• U.S. Energy Policy: A Study of Transition towards Renewable Resources
• Cybersecurity in the U.S.: Analyzing Government’s Role in Protecting National Infrastructure

American Government and Foreign Policy Essay Topics

• Middle East Policies: A Review of U.S. Strategy and Diplomacy
• Democratization and American Foreign Policy: A Critical Examination
• China-U.S. Relations: A Study of Economic and Security Dilemmas
• American Strategy in Containing North Korea’s Nuclear Ambition
• Shifts in U.S.-Russia Relations: Post-Cold War Analysis
• Climate Change and American Foreign Policy: An In-Depth Study
• Human Rights in American Foreign Policy: Case Studies From the 21st Century
• Evaluating U.S. Intervention in Afghanistan: A Retrospective Study
• Cyber Warfare and U.S. Foreign Policy: Exploring Strategies and Consequences
• U.S. and NATO: Analyzing the Changing Dynamics of Transatlantic Alliance
• Latin America in U.S. Foreign Policy: A Historical Analysis
• American Policy in the Indo-Pacific: Security, Diplomacy, and Economics
• U.S. Foreign Aid: Analysis of Trends and Effectiveness
• Arms Control and American Foreign Policy: A Review of Key Agreements
• U.S.-EU Relations: Trade, Security, and Diplomatic Perspectives
• American Policy Towards Israel and Palestine: A Critical Evaluation
• The Iran Nuclear Deal and U.S. Foreign Policy: A Comprehensive Study
• Global Health and American Foreign Policy: Priorities and Challenges
• Climate Diplomacy in U.S. Foreign Policy: A Study of the Paris Agreement

American Government and Media Essay Topics

• Media Influence on Presidential Elections: A Case Study
• Influence of Media in Shaping Public Policy: An Analysis
• The First Amendment: Press Freedom and Its Limits
• Media Portrayal of U.S. Foreign Policy: A Critical Examination
• Partisan Media and Polarization in American Politics: An Exploratory Study
• Fake News and Its Influence on American Political Discourse
• Public Broadcasting in America: A Historical Analysis
• Digital Media and American Politics: Understanding the Shift
• Social Media’s Influence on Political Mobilization: Case Studies From the U.S.
• Media Bias in Coverage of Gun Control: A Comparative Study
• Media Framing of Immigration Policies in the U.S.: A Discourse Analysis
• Network News and Its Influence on Public Perception of the Presidency
• The Power of Political Cartoons in Shaping Public Opinion
• Censorship and Self-Censorship in American Media: A Comprehensive Study
• Media Coverage of the Supreme Court: A Critical Review
• Cable News and Polarization in U.S. Politics: A Longitudinal Study
• The Role of Satirical News in American Political Discourse
• Media and Public Perception of Climate Change Policies in America
• Traditional Media vs. Social Media in U.S. Political Campaigns: A Comparative Analysis

American Political Parties and Elections Topics

• Campaign Strategies in Modern American Elections: An Analysis
• Transformative Elections in American History: Case Studies
• Minor Political Parties in U.S. Electoral Politics: A Comparative Study
• Influence of Lobbying on Election Outcomes: An Empirical Investigation
• How Gerrymandering Shapes American Politics: A Comprehensive Review
• American Presidential Primaries: A Historical Examination
• The Electoral College: An Evaluation of Its Efficacy in Modern U.S. Politics
• American Politics and the Issue of Voter Suppression: A Critical Study
• Dynamics of Swing States in U.S. Presidential Elections: An In-Depth Analysis
• Candidate Image Crafting in American Elections: A Semiotic Analysis
• Polarization and Its Effect on American Elections: An Empirical Investigation
• Public Financing in American Elections: A Comparative Study
• Third-Party Candidates and Their Influence on U.S. Elections: An Exploratory Study
• American Midterm Elections and Their Effect on Presidential Governance: An Analysis
• Effects of Negative Campaigning in U.S. Elections: A Quantitative Study
• Dynamics of Coalition Building in American Political Parties: A Case Study
• Presidential Debates and Their Influence on Election Outcomes: An Empirical Investigation
• Changes in Electoral Behavior in the American South: A Longitudinal Study
• The Effect of Voter Turnout on Election Results: A Statistical Analysis
• The Future of American Elections: Predicting Trends in the Digital Age

Government Research Paper Topics About the Executive Arm

• Presidential Decision-Making in Times of Crisis: A Comparative Analysis
• Foreign Policy Execution and the American President: A Critical Study
• Cabinet Appointments and Policy Outcomes: An Empirical Investigation
• Transformations in the Executive Office: A Historical Review
• Executive Orders: A Quantitative Analysis of Their Use and Effectiveness
• Exercise of Veto Power: A Comparative Study Across Presidential Administrations
• War Powers and the U.S. Presidency: A Constitutional Analysis
• American Presidency and the Pardon Power: A Legal Examination
• Executive Privilege: Its Use and Misuse in American Politics
• Presidential Succession and Continuity of Government: A Policy Analysis
• Dynamics of Executive-Legislative Relations: An Interdisciplinary Study
• The Vice Presidency: Evolution and Influence in Modern American Politics
• Presidential Campaigns: Financing and Its Influence on Policy Outcomes
• National Emergency Declarations and Presidential Power: A Constitutional Study
• The Power of Persuasion: Rhetoric and the American Presidency
• The Cabinet’s Influence on Presidential Decision-Making: A Qualitative Study
• Presidential Nominations and the Confirmation Process: A Policy Analysis
• Environmental Policy-Making in the Executive Branch: A Historical Review
• Immigration Policy Execution and Presidential Discretion: A Comparative Analysis
• National Security and the Use of Executive Power: A Critical Investigation

Legislative Branch of Government Essay Topics in American Politics

• Committee Power in the U.S. Congress: A Quantitative Study
• Bicameralism and Its Influence on Legislation: A Comparative Analysis
• Parliamentary Procedure and Democratic Governance: A Policy Review
• Policy-Making Dynamics in the Senate: A Historical Review
• Congressional Oversight and Its Effect on Executive Power: A Qualitative Study
• Gridlock in Congress: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
• House Rules Committee and Its Influence on Legislation: An Empirical Investigation
• Legislative Agendas: Partisanship and Its Effects on Lawmaking
• Lobbying and Influence in the Lawmaking Process: A Critical Analysis
• Congressional Elections: Campaign Financing and Electoral Outcomes
• Redistricting and Its Effect on the Balance of Power in Congress: A Quantitative Analysis
• Filibuster and Its Impact on Legislative Efficiency: A Policy Analysis
• Political Polarization in the House of Representatives: A Comparative Study
• Congressional Ethics and Conduct: A Legal Examination
• Minority Representation in the U.S. Congress: A Quantitative Analysis
• Leadership Dynamics in Congress: A Historical Review
• Term Limits and Legislative Productivity: An Empirical Investigation
• Congressional Budgeting Process: A Critical Examination
• Lawmaking and the Influence of Interest Groups: A Comparative Analysis
• Checks and Balances: The Role of Congress in National Security Policy-Making

Political Behavior and American Government Essay Topics

• Identity Politics and Policy Preferences in American Government
• Shifts in American Political Behavior: Historical Analysis
• Public Opinion, Ideology, and Policy Change in U.S. Politics
• Media Consumption and Its Influence on Political Preferences
• Digital Democracy: How the Internet Has Transformed Political Participation
• Voting Behavior and Electoral Outcomes: An Empirical Examination
• Effects of Civic Education on Political Engagement: A Comparative Study
• Partisan Realignment and Its Consequences for American Politics
• Dynamics of Political Polarization in Contemporary America
• Political Trust and Its Relationship With Government Performance
• Cultural Factors and Their Influence on Political Attitudes
• Citizen Engagement and Its Relationship With Political Accountability
• Exploring the Nexus Between Socioeconomic Status and Political Behavior
• Environmental Concerns and Their Influence on Voting Behavior
• Political Socialization and Its Impact on Political Affiliation
• Understanding Populism in the Context of American Politics
• Racial Politics and Its Effect on the American Government
• Religious Beliefs and Their Influence on Political Behavior
• Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: A Historical Analysis

Political Theory and American Government Essay Topics

• Applying Rawlsian Justice to American Policy Making
• Hobbes and the Foundation of American Political Structure
• Lockean Ideals in the American Declaration of Independence
• Exploring the Influence of Machiavellian Theory on U.S. Politics
• Marxist Interpretations of American Economic Policies
• Application of Communitarianism in U.S. Social Welfare Policies
• Classical Republicanism and Its Echoes in American Government
• Neo-Conservatism and Its Theoretical Foundations in U.S. Politics
• Postmodern Perspectives on American Democracy
• Utilitarianism and Its Reflection on American Economic Policies
• Feminist Political Theory and Its Relevance in U.S. Politics
• Concepts of Liberty in American Political Discourse: A Theoretical Analysis
• Civil Disobedience: From Thoreau to Modern American Protests
• Pluralism and Interest Group Politics in America
• Exploring Libertarianism in the Context of U.S. Government Policies
• Populism as a Political Theory: Reflections in American Politics
• Deliberative Democracy in Practice: U.S. Town Hall Meetings
• Contractualism and the American Constitution: A Theoretical Analysis
• Understanding Identity Politics through the Lens of Queer Theory in the U.S.
• Anarchist Theories and Their Relevance to American Political Movements

Public Policy and Administration Topics

• Understanding Policy Feedback and Its Implications on Program Sustainability
• Public Administration Reforms: Comparative Analysis of Best Practices
• Fiscal Federalism and Public Policy Making in Decentralized Systems
• Emergent Public Policy Challenges in Cybersecurity
• Public Administration and Crisis Management: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Public Policy Responses to Technological Disruption
• Transparency, Accountability, and Ethics in Public Administration
• Policy Diffusion in Intergovernmental Relations: Patterns and Challenges
• Incorporating Behavioral Insights Into Public Policy Design
• Interrogating the Influence of Lobbying on Public Policy
• Urban Planning Policies and Sustainable Development Goals
• Gender Mainstreaming Strategies in Public Policy and Administration
• Public Administration’s Adaptation to Digital Transformation
• Healthcare Policy Reforms: Balancing Efficiency and Equity
• Exploring the Nexus of Public Policy and Social Justice
• Multiculturalism in Public Policy: Incorporating Diversity in Service Delivery
• Trade Policy Negotiations and National Interests: A Diplomatic Tightrope
• Fostering Innovation and Creativity through Education Policies
• Public Policy Making in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges

Questions About the American Government

• American Government System: Why Does It Operate on a Two-Party Structure?
• Supreme Court Appointments: How Do They Influence the Balance of Power?
• Understanding the Bill of Rights: Which Amendments Have Provoked the Most Controversy?
• Federalism in America: How Does It Affect State Policies?
• Impeachment Process in the United States: What Are the Criteria and Consequences?
• Why Does the United States Employ an Electoral College in Presidential Elections?
• American Government and Lobbying: Is There a Need for Stricter Regulations?
• Deciphering the Role of Super PACs in American Politics: Are They a Necessity?
• How Does Gerrymandering Influence Political Representation in America?
• Citizens United Decision: What Are Its Implications on American Democracy?
• Understanding the Powers and Limitations of the American Presidency: Is It Truly a Democratic Office?
• How Does the American Constitution Protect Individual Rights?
• Campaign Finance in American Elections: How Does It Affect Political Outcomes?
• Functioning of the American Legislative Branch: What Makes It Efficient?
• Why Do Executive Orders Play a Vital Part in the Functioning of the American Government?
• Effect of Gridlock in Congress on American Policy Making: Is It Detrimental?
• How Does Public Opinion Influence Government Decision-Making in the United States?
• Influence of Interest Groups on American Government: Boon or Bane?
• Bicameral Legislature in America: What Are Its Rationale and Significance?

State and Local Government Essay Topics in the American System

• Decentralization Dynamics: A Study of Power Shifts in State and Local Governments
• Strategizing Municipal Finance: Effective Revenue Generation Models
• State Sovereignty vs. Federal Guidelines: An Examination of Conflict and Cooperation
• Examining the Efficacy of Participatory Budgeting in Local Government
• Local Governments and Environmental Sustainability: Policy Design and Implementation
• Diversity in Local Government Leadership: A Comprehensive Analysis
• Education Policy Formulation at the State Level: A Comparative Study
• Municipal Bond Market: Understanding Its Function in Infrastructure Development
• Public Health Management at the State Level: Lessons From Pandemic Response
• Understanding Land Use Policy: A Perspective From Local Governments
• Fiscal Decentralization: Its Effect on State and Local Economic Development
• Urban Planning and Local Governments: A Critical Analysis of Current Practices
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of State Governments in Disaster Management
• State Government Pension Systems: An Analytical Review of Their Sustainability
• Public Transportation Policy: A Case Study of State-Level Initiatives
• Revenue Sharing Between States and Localities: An Assessment of Current Mechanisms
• Local Government and Community Engagement: Strategies for Effective Citizen Participation
• Accountability Measures in State Government: An Investigation of Transparency Practices
• Public-Private Partnerships in Local Government: A Review of Best Practices
• Challenges and Solutions in State-Level Cybersecurity Policy Implementation

The Constitution and Bill of Rights Topics

• Interpreting Freedom: First Amendment Controversies in the Digital Age
• Second Amendment Debates: Understanding the Constitution and Gun Control
• Protection vs. Privacy: The Fourth Amendment in an Era of Technology
• The Eighth Amendment: Contemporary Challenges in the Context of Criminal Justice
• Dilemmas of Due Process: A Critical Examination of the Fifth Amendment
• Origins and Applications: A Deep Dive Into the Tenth Amendment
• Historical Analysis of Constitutional Amendments: Understanding Their Significance
• Cultural Shifts and Constitutional Interpretation: Exploring the Changing Landscape
• Examining the Thirteenth Amendment: The Legacy of Abolition and Modern-Day Implications
• Constitutional Equality: The Unratified Equal Rights Amendment
• The Nineteenth Amendment and Beyond: Women’s Suffrage and Contemporary Gender Politics
• Voting Rights: The Twenty-Sixth Amendment and Current Debates on Age and Citizenship
• The Jurisprudence of the Supreme Court: Notable Cases Interpreting the Bill of Rights
• Constitutional Debates and Democracy: Analyzing the Balance of Powers
• Influence of International Law on Constitutional Interpretation
• How the Bill of Rights Influences Modern Social Movements
• The Constitution and Indigenous Rights: Historical Context and Present Implications
• Reevaluating the Commerce Clause: A Critical Exploration in the Context of Globalization
• Constitutional Perspectives on Data Privacy and Protection

The Judicial Branch of Government Essay Topics in American Politics

• Deciphering Judicial Independence: Origins, Challenges, and Prospects
• Understanding the Supreme Court: Composition, Function, and Influence
• Appointment Controversies: Analyzing the Supreme Court Nominations
• Federal Courts and Politics: An Examination of Judicial Decision-Making
• Checks and Balances: The Judiciary and the Executive Power
• Courts as Policy Makers: Exploring Activism Within the Judicial Branch
• The Art of Interpretation: Statutory Construction in the Supreme Court
• From Marbury to Modernity: The Evolution of Judicial Review
• Exploring Sentencing Disparities: An Examination of Federal Courts
• Diversity in the Judiciary: Assessing Representation in Federal Courts
• Law, Order, and Ethics: A Critical Analysis of Judicial Conduct
• Public Perception and Confidence in the Judicial Branch
• Case Precedent and Legal Stability: The Doctrine of Stare Decisis
• Securing Justice: The Role of Federal Public Defenders
• Judicial Power in the Context of Constitutional Crises
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Specialized Courts: A Comparative Study
• Judicial Restraint and Activism: Ideology in Supreme Court Rulings
• The Federal Judiciary and Civil Liberties: Trends and Implications
• Administrative Law and Federal Courts: A Study in Regulatory Litigation
• International Law in U.S. Courts: Application and Controversy

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25 Essay Topics for American Government Classes

Writing Ideas That Will Make Students Think

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If you are a teacher searching for essay topics to assign to your U.S. government or civics class or looking for ideas, do not fret. It is easy to integrate debates and discussions into the classroom environment. These topic suggestions provide a wealth of ideas for written assignments such as  position papers , compare-and-contrast essays , and  argumentative essays . Scan the following 25 question topics and ideas to find just the right one. You'll soon be reading interesting papers from your students after they grapple with these challenging and important issues.

• Compare and contrast what is a direct democracy versus representative democracy. 
• React to the following statement: Democratic decision-making should be extended to all areas of life including schools, the workplace, and the government. 
• Compare and contrast the Virginia and New Jersey plans. Explain how these led to the Great Compromise .
• Pick one thing about the U.S. Constitution including its amendments that you think should be changed. What modifications would you make? Explain your reasons for making this change.
• What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants?" Do you think that this statement still applies to today's world? 
• Compare and contrast mandates and conditions of aid regarding the federal government's relationship with states. For example, how has the Federal Emergency Management Agency delivered support to states and commonwealths that have experienced natural disasters?
• Should individual states have more or less power compared to the federal government when implementing laws dealing with topics such as the legalization of marijuana  and abortion ? 
• Outline a program that would get more people to vote in presidential elections or local elections.
• What are the dangers of gerrymandering when it comes to voting and presidential elections?
• Compare and contrast the major political parties in the United States. What policies are they preparing for upcoming elections?
• Why would voters choose to vote for a third party, even though they know that their candidate has virtually no chance of winning? 
• Describe the major sources of money that are donated to political campaigns. Check out the Federal Election Regulatory Commission's website for information.
• Should corporations be treated as individuals regarding being allowed to donate to political campaigns?  Look at the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC ruling on the issue. Defend your answer. 
• Explain the role of social media in connecting interest groups that have grown stronger as the major political parties have grown weaker. 
• Explain why the media has been called the fourth branch of government. Include your opinion on whether this is an accurate portrayal.
• Compare and contrast the campaigns of U.S. Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
• Should term limits be instituted for members of Congress? Explain your answer.
• Should members of Congress vote their conscience or follow the will of the people who elected them into office? Explain your answer.
• Explain how executive orders have been used by presidents throughout the history of the U.S. What is the number of executive orders issued by the current president?
• In your opinion, which of the three branches of the federal government has the most power? Defend your answer.
• Which of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment do you consider the most important? Explain your answer. 
• Should a school be required to get a warrant before searching a student's property? Defend your answer. 
• Why did the Equal Rights Amendment fail? What kind of campaign could be run to see it passed?
• Explain how the 14th Amendment has affected civil liberties in the United States from the time of its passage at the end of the Civil War.
• Do you think that the federal government has enough, too much or just the right amount of power? Defend your answer.
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August 13, 2020

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Thinking up the best topic to write on government isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Which is why we’ve come up with this great list of items. How? You may ask. We pride in our native English-speaking writers, to deliver top American government topics for your academic assignments, including essays and research papers.

When you have exciting government topics to write about, the rest of the process becomes easy-peasy. Nevertheless, this is a skill that only a few possess. Lucky for you today, you will learn them firsthand from the gurus.

Let us explore various categories of top-notch US government research paper topics:

American Government Research Paper Topics: Legislative Branch

Here, we explore some of the good government paper topics in the legislative arm of the American government.

• A critical analysis of the House of Representatives and the senate
• Why the census is essential in determining the number of representatives
• Should house representatives serve for more than two terms?
• Is the 25-years age limit a necessity to vie?
• Why the senate is crucial in approving necessary presidential appointments
• What is the origin of the two-thirds majority rule in passing a bill?
• Should Congress have the powers to remove the President?
• Is the senate effective in Committee inquiries and hearings?
• Why is the 25th Amendment necessary for the House and the legislature?
• Should the Representatives elect the speaker of the House?
• The ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913
• Is the Vice President’s decisive vote crucial for the senate?
• Discuss the senate legislation process
• Does the number of committees and subcommittees matter and why?
• The role of experts, advocates, and opponents in the passage or rejection of a bill

You can derive more government paper topics on the legislative branch from the government’s website, senate proceedings or related news bulletin.

Government Research Paper Topics on the Executive Arm

You can consider this niche for your American government research paper with the following topics:

• Discuss the powers of the President and their implications
• How does the Federal government enforce and administer federal laws?
• Should the President appoint heads of independent national commissions?
• What is the effect of Congress overwriting a veto to the President?
• Should the President have unlimited power to extend pardons and clemencies for federal crimes?
• What does the State of the Union Address mean for the President?
• Does the congressional delegation in the electoral vote represent the will of the people?
• The significance of the President and the First family living in White House
• Does the President’s Oval Office have any national relevance?
• Why do Vice Presidents approach their role differently?
• Why should the White House Chief of Staff be the President’s closest adviser?
• Should the President decide on the number of cabinet members by himself?
• The cabinet is often the President’s closest confidants. Why?
• Do the departments in the committee meet the full needs of the US people?
• Why is the Department of Defense, the largest government agency?

A majority of government research topics in this sector revolve around the President, VP, and the cabinet.

College Government Thesis Paper Topics

Writing a college essay in this field can be complicated, especially if you are beginning your first year. Here are some good topics for a research paper in college:

• Compare and contrast direct and representative democracy.
• What changes would you like to make in the US Constitution?
• Individual states versus the federal government. Which is powerful?
• What will make more people vote during elections?
• An analysis of the two main parties in the US government
• Why should you vote for a candidate who probably won’t win?
• Where do political campaigns get their funding, and why?
• Is media the fourth branch of the US government?
• Evaluation of the Senate and House of Representatives candidate campaigns
• Do the members of Congress follow the will of the voters who elected them?
• How have different US Presidents used executive privilege?
• Is the executive branch of the US government the most powerful?
• Why is the First Amendment important to human rights in America?
• Why did the Equal Rights Amendment fail in the senate?
• Does the federal government possess excess power as compared to others?
• Why are polls during presidential elections not reliable?

And there you have your list of government topics for high school, college, and university. Using these easy American government essay topics, you can write a winning research paper worth the commendation of the POTUS.

Are you still wondering, “What are good topics for a research paper?” Well, you have them all systematically arranged for you in the discussion above. However, students in need of professional writing help can get it at affordable rates.

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Home » 300+ American History Research Paper Topics

300+ American History Research Paper Topics

American history is a vast and complex subject that encompasses a wide range of events, movements, and individuals who have shaped the country’s past and present. From the struggles for independence and civil rights to the exploration and settlement of the continent, American history provides an abundance of topics for research papers . Whether you’re interested in politics, social issues, cultural trends, or military history, there are numerous topics to choose from that will help you delve deeper into the fascinating story of the United States. In this arcticle, we will explore some of the most compelling and thought-provoking American history topics that you can choose to explore in your own research .

American History Research Paper Topics

American History Research Paper Topics are as follows:

• The Salem witch trials: religious hysteria and persecution.
• The California Gold Rush: immigration and economic boom.
• The Harlem Renaissance: cultural movements and African American creativity.
• The Stonewall riots: LGBTQ+ rights and activism.
• The Underground Railroad: abolitionist movement and escape from slavery.
• The New York City Draft Riots: racial tensions and class conflict during the Civil War.
• The Battle of Little Bighorn: Native American resistance and US expansionism.
• The Scopes Monkey Trial: evolution and religion in the public school system.
• The assassination of Abraham Lincoln: political upheaval and the aftermath.
• The Bracero Program: labor migration and Mexican American relations.
• The Japanese American internment: civil liberties and government policies during WWII.
• The Black Panthers: civil rights and revolutionary politics.
• The Montgomery bus boycott: racial segregation and nonviolent protest.
• The War of 1812: US-British relations and national identity.
• The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: US involvement in Vietnam and presidential power.
• The Trail of Tears: forced relocation of Native Americans and government policy.
• The Louisiana Purchase: westward expansion and territorial acquisition.
• The Emancipation Proclamation: Abraham Lincoln and the end of slavery.
• The Boston Tea Party: colonial resistance and the American Revolution.
• The Haymarket Riot: labor movements and the struggle for workers’ rights.
• The Sacco and Vanzetti trial: political prejudice and the justice system.
• The Nixon administration and Watergate: political corruption and media coverage.
• The Battle of Gettysburg: turning point in the Civil War and military strategy.
• The United States’ entry into WWI: neutrality and international relations.
• The assassination of JFK: conspiracy theories and the impact on American politics.
• The Montgomery GI Bill: post-WWII veterans’ benefits and education.
• The 1968 Democratic National Convention: anti-war protests and police brutality.
• The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster: NASA and government accountability.
• The Wounded Knee Massacre: Native American activism and government response.
• The Oklahoma City bombing: domestic terrorism and extremism.
• The Pentagon Papers: government secrecy and media freedom.
• The American eugenics movement: racial science and government policy.
• The Zoot Suit Riots: racial tensions and discrimination in WWII-era Los Angeles.
• The Tet Offensive: turning point in the Vietnam War and media coverage.
• The 1920s: flappers, jazz music, and cultural transformation.
• The Seneca Falls Convention: women’s suffrage and gender equality.
• The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: civil rights and the struggle for racial justice.
• The Tea Party movement: conservative populism and political polarization.
• The space race and the moon landing: US-Soviet competition and national pride.
• The Gulf War: US military action in the Middle East and international relations.
• The Hurricane Katrina disaster: government response and racial inequality.
• The Rodney King verdict and LA riots: police brutality and racial justice.
• The Iran-Contra scandal: government corruption and foreign policy.
• The civil rights movement and the Freedom Riders: nonviolent protest and desegregation.
• The Flint water crisis: environmental racism and government negligence.
• The Occupy Wall Street movement: economic inequality and social justice.
• The AIDS epidemic: public health crisis and societal attitudes.
• The American Revolution: causes and consequences.
• The impact of slavery on the development of the United States.
• The Reconstruction Era: successes and failures.
• The Civil War: social, political, and economic impacts.
• The women’s suffrage movement: progress and setbacks.
• The rise of industrialization and its impact on society.
• The Progressive Era: reforms and political changes.
• The New Deal: success or failure?
• The impact of the Great Depression on American society.
• The Second World War: America’s involvement and impact.
• The Cold War: the US and Soviet Union’s global influence.
• The civil rights movement: leaders and strategies.
• The Vietnam War: political, social, and cultural impacts.
• The Watergate scandal: corruption and the presidency.
• The Reagan Revolution: conservatism and change.
• The Gulf War: America’s role in international conflict.
• The 9/11 terrorist attacks: effects on domestic and foreign policy.
• The Obama presidency: achievements and controversies.
• The rise of Silicon Valley: technology and innovation.
• The labor movement: unionization and workers’ rights.
• The Trail of Tears: the forced relocation of Native Americans.
• The Mormon migration: religious freedom and settlement.
• The gold rush: economic and social impacts.
• The women’s liberation movement: progress and setbacks.
• The rise of the suburbs: lifestyle changes and the American Dream.
• The Harlem Renaissance: cultural and artistic movements.
• The Dust Bowl: environmental disasters and migration.
• The Ku Klux Klan: racism and terror in America.
• The rise of the Christian Right: religion and politics.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis: America and the Soviet Union on the brink of war.
• The Manhattan Project: the development of nuclear weapons.
• The Bay of Pigs invasion: US foreign policy in Latin America.
• The Space Race: America’s competition with the Soviet Union.
• The Black Power movement: self-determination and political activism.
• The Stonewall riots: the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
• The War on Drugs: the impact on minority communities.
• The rise of hip hop: cultural expression and social commentary.
• The Iraq War: America’s intervention in the Middle East.
• The Tea Party movement: populism and conservative politics.
• The Dakota Access Pipeline protests: Indigenous rights and environmentalism.
• The #MeToo movement: sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.
• The 2020 presidential election: controversies and historical significance.
• The COVID-19 pandemic: social, economic, and political impacts.
• The climate crisis: America’s role in mitigating global warming.
• The opioid epidemic: public health crisis and government response.
• The gig economy: labor rights and the changing nature of work.
• The immigration debate: policies and social attitudes towards immigrants.
• The Black Lives Matter movement: racial justice and police reform.
• The Battle of Antietam: bloodiest day in American history and its impact on the Civil War.
• The Salem Witch Trials: causes and consequences of the infamous witch hunt.
• The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment: examining the unethical medical study conducted on African American men.
• The Stonewall Riots: analyzing the LGBTQ+ rights movement and the impact of the Stonewall uprising.
• The Bay of Pigs Invasion: evaluating the failed US attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba.
• The Battle of Little Bighorn: examining the conflict between the US Army and Native American tribes.
• The Red Scare: analyzing the fear of communism in the US during the Cold War.
• The Manhattan Project: evaluating the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
• The Seneca Falls Convention: examining the first women’s rights convention and its impact on American society.
• The My Lai Massacre: analyzing the massacre of Vietnamese civilians by US soldiers during the Vietnam War.
• The Treaty of Versailles: evaluating the impact of the treaty that ended World War I.
• The Dust Bowl Migration: examining the migration of farmers from the Great Plains to California during the Great Depression.
• The Black Lives Matter Movement: analyzing the movement for racial justice and police reform in the US.
• The Oregon Trail: examining the westward expansion of the US and the impact of the Oregon Trail.
• The 1968 Democratic National Convention: evaluating the protests and violence that occurred during the convention.
• The Indian Removal Act: examining the forced relocation of Native American tribes in the 1830s.
• The Great Society: evaluating the social and economic reforms of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
• The Wounded Knee Massacre: analyzing the US Army’s killing of Native American men, women, and children in 1890.
• The Ku Klux Klan: examining the rise and fall of the white supremacist group.
• The Gadsden Purchase: evaluating the US acquisition of land from Mexico in 1853.
• The Second Great Awakening: analyzing the religious revival of the early 19th century and its impact on American society.
• The Haymarket Riot: examining the labor unrest and violence that occurred during the 1886 Chicago labor rally.
• The Dust Bowl Art: analyzing the art and literature inspired by the Great Plains drought.
• The Roe v. Wade Decision: evaluating the impact of the landmark Supreme Court decision on abortion rights.
• The Salem Customs House: examining the significance of the customs house in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter.”
• The Homestead Strike: analyzing the violent labor dispute that occurred at the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892.
• The War of 1812: evaluating the US conflict with Great Britain and its impact on American society.
• The Sacco and Vanzetti Trial: examining the controversial trial of two Italian immigrants in the 1920s.
• The Scopes Monkey Trial: evaluating the trial that pitted science against religion in the 1920s.
• The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty: examining the US treaty with Panama that led to the construction of the Panama Canal.
• The Bonus Army: analyzing the World War I veterans who marched on Washington, D.C. to demand government benefits.
• The O.J. Simpson Trial: evaluating the impact of the high-profile murder trial on American culture.
• The Iran-Contra Affair: examining the political scandal that involved the US selling weapons to Iran and using the profits to fund anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua.
• The Buffalo Soldiers: analyzing the history of the African American soldiers who served in the western frontier.
• The American Civil War: examining the factors that led to the conflict.
• The New Deal: evaluating the impact of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic policies.
• The Space Race: the competition between the US and Soviet Union to explore space.
• The Vietnam War: analyzing the US involvement in the conflict.
• The American Revolution: evaluating the role of key figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
• The Civil Rights Movement: examining the fight for racial equality in the US.
• The Gold Rush: exploring the impact of the California Gold Rush on American society.
• The Watergate Scandal: the political scandal that brought down President Nixon.
• The Great Migration: analyzing the movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities.
• The Harlem Renaissance: examining the cultural and artistic movement of the 1920s.
• The Trail of Tears: evaluating the forced removal of Native American tribes from their lands.
• The Cold War: analyzing the political and economic tensions between the US and Soviet Union.
• The Industrial Revolution: examining the changes brought about by industrialization in the US.
• The Boston Tea Party: evaluating the impact of the colonial protest against British taxation.
• The Underground Railroad: analyzing the network that helped slaves escape to freedom.
• The Women’s Suffrage Movement: examining the fight for women’s right to vote.
• The Dust Bowl: evaluating the environmental and economic impact of the Great Plains drought.
• The Emancipation Proclamation: analyzing Lincoln’s decision to free slaves in Confederate states.
• The Transatlantic Slave Trade: examining the forced migration of Africans to the US.
• The Louisiana Purchase: analyzing the impact of the US acquisition of Louisiana from France.
• The Spanish Flu Pandemic: examining the global pandemic that killed millions.
• The Attack on Pearl Harbor: evaluating the impact of the Japanese attack on the US.
• The Montgomery Bus Boycott: analyzing the nonviolent protest against segregated public transportation.
• The Panama Canal: examining the construction of the canal and its impact on international trade.
• The Salem Maritime Trade: analyzing the economic and social impact of maritime trade in the colonial period.
• The Cuban Revolution: examining the overthrow of Batista and the rise of Fidel Castro.
• The Iraq War: analyzing the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
• The New York City Draft Riots: evaluating the racial and class tensions that led to the riots.
• The Black Panther Party: examining the political and social impact of the Black Panther movement.
• The American West: analyzing the expansion and settlement of the American West.
• The Berlin Wall: examining the construction and fall of the Berlin Wall.
• The 19th Amendment: evaluating the impact of women’s right to vote on American society.
• The United States and the United Nations: analyzing the US involvement in the UN.
• The Jim Crow Laws: examining the laws that enforced racial segregation in the US.
• The Bracero Program: analyzing the US-Mexico labor agreement during World War II.
• The Korean War: evaluating the US involvement in the conflict.
• The Alamo: examining the battle that became a symbol of Texas independence.
• The Assassination of JFK: analyzing the impact of the assassination on American politics and society.
• The Great Chicago Fire: evaluating the impact of the fire that destroyed much of Chicago in 1871.
• The Americanization Movement: examining the movement that sought to assimilate immigrants into American culture.
• The Spanish American War: US imperialism and expansion in the late 19th century.
• The Red Scare: political repression and the fear of communism in the 20th century.
• The National Parks system: conservation and environmentalism in the US.
• The Women’s Liberation Movement: feminism and gender equality in the 1960s and 1970s.
• The Brown v. Board of Education decision: landmark ruling on desegregation in public schools.
• The Gulf of Mexico oil spill: environmental disaster and corporate responsibility.
• The American Revolution: causes, major events, and legacy.
• The Great Depression: economic crisis and government response in the 1930s.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964: legislative landmark in the struggle for racial justice.
• The Dust Bowl: ecological disaster and its impact on American agriculture.
• The Waco Siege: government overreach and religious extremism.
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire: workplace safety and labor reform.
• The Black Lives Matter movement: police brutality and racial justice in the 21st century.
• The Homestead Strike: labor dispute and the fight for workers’ rights.
• The Panama Canal: engineering marvel and US influence in Central America.
• The Marshall Plan: US aid to Europe after World War II and the Cold War.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis: nuclear brinksmanship and US-Soviet relations.
• The Montgomery Improvement Association: nonviolent resistance and the bus boycott.
• The Roe v. Wade decision: reproductive rights and the women’s movement.
• The My Lai Massacre: war crimes and US military conduct in Vietnam.
• The Salem-Keizer school desegregation case: busing and the limits of integration.
• The Flint sit-down strike: labor unrest and unionization in the auto industry.
• The transcontinental railroad: westward expansion and economic growth.
• The Iranian Hostage Crisis: US foreign policy and Middle East tensions.
• The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty: US control of the Panama Canal and sovereignty issues.
• The Black Sox Scandal: corruption and gambling in Major League Baseball.
• The Freedom Summer: civil rights activism and voter registration in the South.
• The Salem maritime trade: piracy and international commerce in the colonial period.
• The Stono Rebellion: slave rebellion and resistance in South Carolina.
• The Alaska Purchase: US acquisition of Alaska and its impact on Native Alaskans.
• The United States and the League of Nations: US foreign policy and internationalism.
• The Chicago Seven trial: political dissent and government repression during the Vietnam War.
• The Reagan Revolution: conservative politics and the changing face of American politics.
• The American Indian Movement: Native American rights and activism.
• The Battle of Bull Run: first major battle of the Civil War and its impact.
• The Wounded Knee Occupation: Native American sovereignty and government response.
• The Whiskey Rebellion: taxation and the limits of federal authority in the early US.
• The Iran-Iraq War: US involvement and Middle East politics.
• The United States and the Cold War: US-Soviet relations and the arms race.
• The Ku Klux Klan: white supremacy and domestic terrorism in American history.
• The Battle of Midway: turning point in World War II and military strategy.
• The Montgomery Bus Boycott: analyzing the civil rights movement and its impact on segregation in the South.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis: evaluating the US and Soviet Union’s tense standoff in 1962.
• The Trail of Tears: examining the forced removal of Native American tribes from their lands in the 1830s.
• The Space Race: analyzing the competition between the US and Soviet Union to explore space.
• The Emancipation Proclamation: evaluating the impact of President Lincoln’s proclamation on slavery during the Civil War.
• The Black Panthers: examining the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and 1970s.
• The Harlem Renaissance: analyzing the cultural movement that celebrated African American art, literature, and music in the 1920s and 1930s.
• The Korean War: evaluating the US and UN’s conflict with North Korea and China in the 1950s.
• The Boston Tea Party: examining the protest that sparked the American Revolution.
• The National Parks System: analyzing the history and impact of the National Parks System in the US.
• The New Deal: evaluating President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic reforms during the Great Depression.
• The Black Codes: examining the laws passed in Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the rights of African Americans.
• The Watergate Scandal: analyzing the political scandal that led to the resignation of President Nixon.
• The War on Drugs: evaluating the US government’s policies and actions to combat drug use and trafficking.
• The McCarthy Hearings: examining the anti-communist hearings led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.
• The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake: analyzing the disaster and its impact on the city and American society.
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: examining the tragedy that led to significant labor reforms in the early 20th century.
• The Rodney King Riots: analyzing the 1992 riots in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
• The Transcontinental Railroad: evaluating the construction of the railroad and its impact on American transportation and commerce.
• The New York Draft Riots: examining the violent protests against the Civil War draft in New York City in 1863.
• The Tulsa Race Massacre: analyzing the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma and its aftermath.
• The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: examining the deadly global pandemic and its impact on American society.
• The Battle of Gettysburg: evaluating the pivotal Civil War battle and its impact on the war and American history.
• The Mexican-American War: analyzing the US conflict with Mexico and its impact on American expansion.
• The American Indian Movement: examining the Native American organization and its activism for Indigenous rights.
• The War in Iraq: evaluating the US-led war in Iraq and its impact on US foreign policy.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964: analyzing the landmark legislation that prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
• The Jim Crow Laws: examining the laws that enforced racial segregation in the South after the Civil War.
• The Women’s Suffrage Movement: evaluating the fight for women’s right to vote in the US.
• The Anti-Vietnam War Movement: analyzing the protests and activism against the US involvement in the Vietnam War.
• The Donner Party: examining the ill-fated wagon train journey and its impact on westward expansion.
• The Great Migration: analyzing the mass movement of African Americans from the South to the North and West in the early 20th century.
• The Red Scare: examining the anti-communist hysteria in the US during the Cold War era.
• The Alamo: evaluating the 1836 battle in Texas and its significance in American history.
• The Cuban Revolution: analyzing the revolution led by Fidel Castro and its impact on US-Cuban relations.
• The Dust Bowl: examining the environmental disaster that devastated the Great Plains in the 1930s.
• The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: analyzing the impact of the civil rights leader’s death on American society.
• The California Gold Rush: evaluating the rush of people to California in search of gold in 1849.
• The Salem Witch Trials: examining the 1692 witch hunt and its impact on American society.
• The Reconstruction Era: analyzing the period of US history following the Civil War that aimed to rebuild the South and integrate newly freed slaves into society.
• The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster: evaluating the tragic 1986 event that claimed the lives of seven astronauts.
• The Great Society: examining President Lyndon B. Johnson’s domestic policies in the 1960s and their impact on American society.
• The Bataan Death March: analyzing the brutal forced march of American and Filipino prisoners of war by the Japanese in World War II.
• The Detroit Race Riot: examining the violent 1967 riots in Detroit and their impact on American race relations.
• The Wounded Knee Massacre: analyzing the 1890 massacre of Sioux Indians by US troops and its impact on Native American relations with the US government.
• The Spanish-American War: evaluating the US conflict with Spain in 1898 and its impact on American imperialism.
• The Cold War: examining the geopolitical tensions between the US and Soviet Union from 1945-1991.
• The Underground Railroad: evaluating the network of secret routes and safe houses used to help enslaved people escape to freedom in the 19th century.
• The Tuskegee Airmen: examining the all-Black fighter squadron that served in World War II and their impact on American history.
• The Boston Massacre: analyzing the 1770 event in which British soldiers killed five colonists and its impact on American revolutionary sentiment.
• The 1968 Democratic National Convention: examining the protests and clashes between police and anti-war demonstrators during the convention.
• The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision: evaluating the landmark decision legalizing abortion in the US in 1973.
• The Louisiana Territory: analyzing the US acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
• The Stock Market Crash of 1929: examining the causes and impact of the crash that led to the Great Depression.
• The Lusitania sinking: analyzing the 1915 sinking of a British passenger ship by a German submarine and its impact on American entry into World War I.
• The Second Great Awakening: evaluating the religious revival movement in the US in the early 19th century and its impact on American society.
• The Black Panthers: analyzing the impact of the Black Panther Party on the civil rights movement and American society in the 1960s.
• The Mexican-American War: examining the US conflict with Mexico in the 1840s and its impact on US expansionism.
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: analyzing the 1911 tragedy and its impact on workplace safety regulations.
• The Transcontinental Railroad: evaluating the building of the railroad in the late 19th century and its impact on American transportation and economy.
• The Stono Rebellion: examining the 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina and its impact on American slavery laws.
• The Battle of Gettysburg: analyzing the 1863 battle and its significance in the Civil War.
• The Black Sox Scandal: evaluating the 1919 scandal in which members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team were accused of throwing the World Series.
• The Oregon Trail: examining the westward expansion of American settlers to the Pacific Northwest in the 19th century.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964: analyzing the landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
• The Indian Removal Act: evaluating the 1830 law that authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their lands in the Southeastern US.
• The Battle of Antietam: analyzing the 1862 battle and its impact on the Civil War.
• The Iran-Contra Affair: examining the political scandal involving the Reagan administration’s secret arms sales to Iran and illegal funding of Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
• The Pullman Strike: analyzing the 1894 labor strike by railway workers and its impact on American labor laws.
• The 1920s: examining the cultural, social, and political changes that occurred during the “Roaring Twenties.”
• The Battle of Little Bighorn: analyzing the 1876 battle between US forces and Sioux and Cheyenne warriors and its impact on Native American relations with the US government.
• The Montgomery GI Bill: evaluating the legislation that provided education and training benefits to US veterans after World War II.
• The Black Codes: examining the laws enacted in the South after the Civil War that restricted the rights and freedoms of newly freed slaves.
• The Korean War: analyzing the US involvement in the conflict and its impact on American foreign policy.
• The Seneca Falls Convention: evaluating the 1848 convention advocating for women’s suffrage and its impact on the women’s rights movement.
• The Bay of Pigs Invasion: examining the failed 1961 US attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s government in Cuba.
• The Homestead Strike: analyzing the 1892 labor strike by steelworkers and its impact on American labor relations.
• The Gadsden Purchase: evaluating the US acquisition of land from Mexico in 1853 and its impact on American territorial expansion.
• The Harlem Renaissance: examining the cultural and artistic movement in the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated Black creativity and identity.
• The Fourteenth Amendment: analyzing the constitutional amendment that granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the US.
• The Battle of New Orleans: evaluating the 1815 battle in which American forces led by Andrew Jackson defeated British troops and its impact on American nationalism.
• The Birmingham Campaign: analyzing the 1963 civil rights campaign in Alabama and its impact on the movement.
• The Pullman Palace Car Company: examining the company’s history and impact on American railroad travel and labor relations.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Research Topics & Ideas: Politics

100+ Politics-Related Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation or thesis. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a politics-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of politically-related research ideas across a range of disciplines, including political theory and philosophy, comparative politics, international relations, public administration and policy.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. Also, be sure to sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic from scratch.

Overview: Politics-Related Topics

• Political theory and philosophy
• Comparative politics
• International relations
• Public administration
• Public policy
• Examples of politics-related dissertations

Topics & Ideas: Political Theory

• An analysis of the impact of feminism on political theory and the concept of citizenship in Saudi Arabia in the context of Vision 2030
• A comparative study of the political philosophies of Marxism and liberalism and their influence on modern politics
• An examination of how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the relationship between individual freedom and collective responsibility in political philosophy
• A study of the impact of race and ethnicity on French political philosophy and the concept of justice
• An exploration of the role of religion in political theory and its impact on secular democracy in the Middle East
• A Review of Social contract theory, comparative analysis of the political philosophies of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
• A study of the concept of the common good in political philosophy and its relevance to the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe
• An examination of the relationship between political power and the rule of law in developing African countries
• A study of the impact of postmodernism on political theory and the concept of truth, a case study of the US
• An exploration of the role of virtue in political philosophy and its impact on the assessment of moral character in political leaders

Topics & Ideas: Comparative Politics

• A comparative study of different models of federalism and their impact on democratic governance: A case Study of South American federalist states
• The impact of ethnic and religious diversity on political stability and democracy in developing countries, a review of literature from Africa
• An analysis of the role of civil society in promoting democratic change in autocratic regimes: A case study in Sweden
• A comparative examination of the impact of globalization on political institutions and processes in South America and Africa.
• A study of the factors that contribute to successful democratization in authoritarian regimes, a review of the role of Elite-driven democratization
• A comparison of the political and economic systems of China and India and their impact on social development
• The impact of corruption on political institutions and democracy in South East Asia, a critical review
• A comparative examination of the impact of majoritarian representation (winner-take-all) vs proportional representation on political representation and governance
• An exploration of Multi-party systems in democratic countries and their impact on minority representation and policy-making.
• A study of the factors that contribute to successful decentralization and regional autonomy, a case study of Spain

Topics & Ideas: International Relations

• A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of diplomacy and military force in resolving international conflicts in Central Africa.
• The impact of globalization on the sovereignty of nation-states and the changing nature of international politics, a review of the role of Multinational Corporations
• An examination of the role of international aid organizations in promoting peace, security, and development in the Middle East.
• A study of the impact of economic interdependence on the likelihood of conflict in international relations: A critical review of weaponized interdependence
• A comparative analysis of the foreign policies of the EU and the US and their impact on international stability in Africa
• An exploration of the relationship between international human rights and national sovereignty during the Covid 19 pandemic
• A study of the role of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO)s in international politics and their impact on state behaviour
• A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of international regimes in addressing global challenges such as climate change, arms control, and terrorism in Brazil
• An examination of the impact of the rise of BRICS on the international system and global governance
• A study of the role of ideology in shaping the foreign policies of states and the dynamics of international relations in the US

Tops & Ideas: Public Administration

• An analysis of the impact of digital technology on public administration and the delivery of public services in Estonia
• A review of models of public-private partnerships and their impact on the delivery of public services in Ghana
• An examination of the role of civil society organizations in monitoring and accountability of public administration in Papua New Guinea
• A study of the impact of environmentalism as a political ideology on public administration and policy implementation in Germany
• An exploration of the relationship between public administration and citizen engagement in the policy-making process, an exploration of gender identity concerns in schools
• A comparative analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration, decentralisation and pay and employment reform in developing countries
• A study of the role of collaborative leadership in public administration and its impact on organizational performance
• A systematic review of the challenges and opportunities related to diversity and inclusion in police services
• A study of the impact of corrupt public administration on economic development and regional growth in Eastern Europe
• An exploration of the relationship between public administration and civil rights and liberties, including issues related to privacy and surveillance, a case study in South Korea

Topics & Ideas: Public Policy

• An analysis of the impacts of public policy on income inequality and poverty reduction in South Sudan
• A comparative study of the effectiveness of legal and regulatory, economic and financial, and social and cultural instruments for addressing climate change in South Korea
• An examination of the role of interest groups in shaping public policy and the policy-making process regarding land-use claims
• A study of the impact of globalization on the development of public policies and programs for mitigating climate change in Singapore
• An exploration of the relationship between public policy and social justice in tertiary education in the UAE
• A comparative analysis of the impact of health policies for the management of diabetes on access to healthcare and health outcomes in developing countries
• Exploring the role of evidence-based policymaking in the design and implementation of public policies for the management of invasive invertebrates in Australia
• An examination of the challenges and opportunities of implementing educational dietary public policies in developing multicultural countries
• A study of the impact of public policies on urbanization and urban development in rural Indonesia
• An exploration of the role of media and public opinion in shaping public policy and the policy-making process in the transport industry of Malaysia

Examples: Politics Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a politics-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various politics-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• We, the Righteous Few: Immoral Actions of Fellow Partisans are Judged as Less Possible (Varnam, 2020)
• Civilizing the State: Civil Society and the Politics of Primary Public Health Care Provision in Urban Brazil (Gibson, 2012)
• Political regimes and minority language policies: evidence from Taiwan and southeast Asia (Wu, 2021)
• The Feminist Third Wave: Social Reproduction, Feminism as Class Struggle, and Contemporary Women’s Movements (Angulo, 2019)
• The Politics of Immigration under Authoritarianism (Joo, 2019)
• The politics of digital platforms: Sour Dictionary, activist subjectivities, and contemporary cultures of resistance (Okten, 2019)
• Vote choice and support for diverse candidates on the Boston City Council At-Large (Dolcimascolo, 2022)
• The city agenda: local governance and national influence in the policy agenda, 1900-2020 (Shannon, 2022)
• Turf wars: who supported measures to criminalize homelessness in Austin, Texas? (Bompiedi, 2021)
• Do BITs Cause Opposition Between Investor Rights and Environmental Protection? (Xiong, 2022)
• Revealed corruption and electoral accountability in Brazil: How politicians anticipate voting behavior (Diaz, 2021)
• Intersectional Solidarity: The Political Consequences of a Consciousness of Race, Gender and Sexuality (Crowder, 2020)
• The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Coalitional Representation of Latinxs in the U.S. House of Representatives (Munoz, 2019)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. In other words, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

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If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your dissertation or research project, check out our Topic Kickstarter service below.

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Home — Essay Samples — Government & Politics — Federal Government — American Government

Essays on American Government

The American Government is a fascinating and important subject that affects all aspects of our lives. Writing an essay about the American Government can help you understand how our political system works and how it impacts our society.

When choosing a topic for your American Government essay, think about what interests you the most. Do you want to explore the role of the President in shaping policy? Or perhaps you're more interested in the impact of the Supreme Court on civil rights? Once you have a topic in mind, consider the type of essay you want to write - argumentative, cause and effect, opinion, or informative.

For an argumentative essay on American Government, you could explore topics like the Electoral College, gun control laws, or the role of money in politics. If you're interested in writing a cause and effect essay, you could examine the effects of gerrymandering, the impact of political polarization, or the consequences of voter suppression. For an opinion essay, you might want to discuss your views on the role of government in healthcare, immigration policy, or environmental regulation. And if you're writing an informative essay, you could delve into topics like the branches of government, the history of the Constitution, or the functions of Congress.

To give you an idea of what a well-written American Government essay looks like, here are a few examples. For your thesis statement, you might consider statements like "The American Government plays a crucial role in shaping public policy," or "The balance of power between the branches of government is essential for a functioning democracy." In your , you could start with a brief history of the American Government, discuss the purpose of your essay, and provide an overview of your main points. And in your , you could summarize your key arguments, restate your thesis, and offer some thoughts on the future of American Government.

With these tips and examples, you'll be well on your way to writing a top-notch American Government essay!

The Impact of The Civil War on America

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An Overview of Radicalization of The West: a Homegrown Threat Helping Law Enforcement in The Capital City and America as a Whole

Postmodern view of socioeconomy and politics in "absurdistan", opinion against gun control: why gun control doesn't work, the arguments against gun control in the united states, the situation with health services in south american states, inequality for all: income inequality in the united states, joe biden: a big supporter of keynesian economics, the struggle between federalist and anti-federalist in usa: the federalist papers, ulysses s grant and his contributions to america, the history of purchase of louisiana, systems thinking in environmental policy analysis, financing and governance, the united states – a beacon of hope, history of cotton in the united states, the rise of inflation rate in the us, united states (usa): location and history, joe biden's candidancy for the presidential elections, american government: madison's and washington's performance, the great financial crash: new thinking needed, an overview of the patriot act of the united states, relevant topics.

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The 30 Most Controversial Topics for Your Position Paper

What are the most controversial topics today? What are the most hotly debated controversial issues in politics, culture and public life? Which are the controversial topics that most sharply divide us. Which public debates actually define us? We answer these questions with our ranking of The 30 Most Controversial Topics Today. We also provide an objective overview of these controversial issues, which makes this a great source for finding controversial essay topics!

The Top 30 Controversial Topics

Affirmative action, artificial intelligence, black lives matter, censorship and freedom of speech, charter schools, civil rights, climate change, covid vaccine mandates, critical race theory, death penalty/capital punishment, electoral college, foreign aid, gun control, health insurance, labor unions, marijuana legalization, minimum wage, nuclear energy, outsourcing, police brutality, religious freedom, reparations, social security.

• Trump and the Big Lie

Women’s Rights

If you visit each debate topic’s page, you will find a study guide that includes:

• A breakdown of the leading positions in the controversial topic;
• A brief history of the controversial topic in American life;
• A list of the most influential people and most influential books in the recent history of the controversy;
• A glimpse at the current status of the controversial topic; and
• A vetted selection of key people on all sides of the debate topic today.

Any one of these controversial essay topics could be a strong starting point for your next research project or argumentative essay. You will learn how to study successfully for your research assignments. Read on for examples of controversial topics for your next position paper, persuasive essay, or even for a starting point on your graduate thesis...

Controversy is everywhere. It’s up to each of us to decide our level of involvement in the public debate. College offers an amazing opportunity to explore these controversial issues, and to determine where you fit into the conversation.

The university is a place where we are taught to question our own assumptions, challenged to defend our ideas, and trained to probe for a more complete understanding of the controversial issues defining our times. College is also an environment where free speech, open discourse, and informed debate are meant to flourish. Of course, as human beings, we are bound to disagree, and sometimes quite passionately.

That’s why controversial topics will play such an important role in your higher education. Indeed, controversy is everywhere. Whether you want to learn more about a few interesting controversial topics, you’ve been assigned a research paper on a controversial essay topic, or you plan to build a career based on the ideas you’re learning to defend today , you will encounter controversy in your education and in your life.

That’s why we’ve decided to take the most important controversial topics by the horns. Wherever you are in your educational journey , you should not only anticipate, but embrace, the opportunity to explore some of the most important controversial debate topics of our times. This includes prospective college essay topics like drug abuse, the opioid crisis, freedom of speech, freedom of religious belief, global warming, laws concerning illegal immigrants, brutality by police officers, and much more.

College students studying foreign affairs, criminal justice, economics, political science, sociology and countless other subjects are sure to find a controversial topic worthy of their next argumentative essay.

Our spotlight on each controversial topic includes an overview of the subject matter, key points of disagreement, and a look at the impact of major influencers. Use these controversial issues as a way to begin your argumentative essay, formulate your own position, and even connect personally with professors, activists, and thought leaders who hold influence over the subject matter.

What is a controversial topic?

A controversial topic is a prolonged public dispute or debate. Controversial topics are typically played out through public channels like news media, electoral politics, and social media. What perhaps most distinguishes a controversial topic from mere disagreement is the heated, sometimes emotional, and often diametrically opposed viewpoints that frame a given issue. People often bring religious beliefs, personal ethics, business interests and countless other deeply held feelings into controversial debate topics.

And of course, many controversial political topics also carry very really consequences, as shown by the very current public debates over abortion rights, the call for stricter gun control laws, global climate change and other high-stakes issues. That why many of these controversial issues engender strong enough disagreement to inspire organization, political action, protest, and policy development.

Now that you understand what controversial topics are, read on for a look at the 30 controversial debate topics most directly shaping public discourse, and indeed, shaping public life in American today.

The 30 Most Controversial Topics Over the Last 25 Years

The Civil Rights Movement refers to one of the most consequential struggles in American history, one that continues to present date. Civil Rights refer to the freedoms, liberties, and protections under the law that are meant to be accorded to all people. But civil rights advocates argue that racial inequality is ingrained in American life through realities like economic disenfranchisement, police brutality, and mass incarceration. The Civil Rights controversy pits groups, organizations, and communities who advocate for greater racial equality against those who work to maintain or advance a white racial hierarchy.

Learn more about the Civil Rights Controversy.

The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights protects the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religious expression, and the right to a free press against government restriction. As a key component in the very first article of the Bill of Rights, free speech is among the most cherished and frequently-cited protections built into the U.S. Constitution. However, because the content of that speech and expression may itself provoke sharp disagreement, the true controversy in this issue extends from differing ideas about what constitutes “protected speech” as well as the methods that should or shouldn’t be used to limit free speech. This underscores the debate around Freedom of Speech and Censorship.

Learn more about the Censorship and Freedom of Speech Controversy.

The climate change debate concerns the impact of human activity on the earth’s temperature, as well as its impact on weather patterns, plant-life, wildlife, and human health. On one side of the debate, most in the scientific community believe that human activity is responsible for climate change. On the other side, some journalists, political leaders, and industry advocates argue either that global climate change is not actually occurring, or that climate change is the result of natural meteorological patterns unrelated to human activity. Some also argue that economic imperatives should be prioritized over environmental concerns.

Learn more about the Climate Change Controversy.

Stand on the front lines in the fight against climate change with a degree in environmental science .

Capital punishment refers to the use of the death penalty as a form of legal punishment administered by the state. Capital punishment in the U.S. has long been the subject of constitutional, philosophical and practical disagreement, and as such, has been subject to legal fluctuation. As of the time of writing, the United States is one of 56 nations worldwide, and one of just four developed democracies (alongside Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore) which uses death penalty. The U.S. is also the only developed Western nation to employ capital punishment.

Learn more about the Death Penalty and Capital Punishment Controversy.

Abortion refers to the act of terminating a pregnancy before it can be carried to term. The abortion controversy concerns the ongoing debate and battle over the legal status of abortion in the U.S., both at the state and national levels. Abortion is among the most divisive issues in American public discourse. Views on abortion often carry religious, political, and cultural overtones. The debate is largely framed by two competing views: The Pro-Choice view, that abortion is a woman’s constitutionally-protected right; and the Pro-Life view, that abortion is immoral, and that the government should have the right to restrict and/or punish abortion.

Learn more about the Abortion Controversy.

Social Security refers to the federal social insurance program in the United States, which provides financial and medical benefits to older Americans, as well as the disabled and some who have been widowed or orphaned by working age adults. All working Americans contribute to Social Security through a dedicated payroll tax. The Social Security controversy refers to a complex economic and philosophical debate over how Social Security should be funded, dispersed, and managed. Some advocate for its continuity as a federal program while others argue that social security should be privatized and removed from government control.

Learn more about the Social Security Controversy.

Artificial intelligence (AI), in the simplest terms, refers to computing which aims to mimic human cognitive functions like learning, problem solving, and adaptation to environmental conditions. With the evolution of computer science, computing machines have accelerated in their capacity to demonstrate “intelligence” in areas such as reasoning, planning, natural language processing, perception, and much more.

Learn more about the Artificial Intelligence Controversy.

Advance the technology behind AI, machine learning, automation and more with a degree in data science and analytics .

Health Insurance refers to financial coverage for healthcare expenses. Health coverage is among the most intensely debated subjects in American life, both because of the generally high cost of healthcare expenses, and because access to coverage varies significantly based on employment and socioeconomic status. Some Americans believe the government should take greater responsibility for the millions who are uninsured or underinsured, with many arguing that the United States should provide universal medical and mental health coverage for all Americans. By contrast, others believe that paying for health coverage should be the individual responsibility of every American, and argue that universal healthcare coverage is a socialist policy.

Learn more about the Health Insurance Controversy.

Women’s Rights refers to the ongoing movement in the U.S. to improve gender equity through legislation, activism, public service, political participation, and more. The United States was founded as a patriarchy, restricting women from owning property, voting, or enjoying the rights of citizenship. The women’s rights movement uses activism, policy advocacy, and non-profit organization to improve gender equality and close the gender pay gap, whereas the opponents of this movement may argue that gender equality already exists, or that women are biologically unequal to men and therefore deserving of secondary status.

Learn more about the Women’s Rights Controversy.

Advance the public discussion on women’s rights and equality with a degree in gender studies .

On its surface, the controversy over religious freedom in the U.S. concerns the right of individuals to practice their religion freely and without infringement by individuals, groups, or the government. But since the dawn of American history, the debate over religious liberty has been clouded by conflicts between different groups and belief systems, especially when the belief system of one group risks discrimination against another group. While the right to practice one’s religion is a core Constitutional protection, debate persists over the meaning of religious freedom and whether this freedom can be used to exempt groups from certain laws, including anti-discrimination laws.

Learn more about the Religious Freedom Controversy.

Minimum wage refers to the lowest hourly wage that an employer may legally pay an employee under state and federal law. The controversy over the minimum wage concerns the belief that a living wage should be a fundamental right for all American workers and is opposed by the belief that regulatory control over wage thresholds risk imposing undue economic burdens on employers with potentially deleterious effects on the economy as a whole.

Learn more about the Minimum Wage Controversy.

Atheism is defined as the absence of a belief in deities, or the rejection of a belief in deities, or the belief that no deities exist. These nuances underscore the complexity of individual views on religion and theology, and by extension, the complexity of this debate. The controversy over atheism concerns disagreement between those who believe in the existence of deities and those who do not believe in the existence of deities, and more specifically, how these divergent beliefs should be treated in public spaces. As a result, this controversy touches closely on issues of religious freedom, the separation of church and state, and freedom of expression.

Learn more about the Atheism Controversy.

Reparations for slavery refers to the idea of compensating the victims of African slavery and their descendants for the abuses suffered under U.S. law. The idea of reparations for the victims of African slavery in America emerged as early as the colonial era, but took on particular relevance after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. While some individual former slaves and their descendants have received reparations of some type, the vast majority have not, owing to the absence of any lasting or comprehensive federal policy. This absence keeps the reparations controversy relevant, as advocates, activists, and public leaders continue to call for the adoption of some form of reparations, both in compensation for slavery, and for the injustices visited upon succeeding generations of Black Americans.

Learn more about the Reparations Controversy.

Hacking refers to the use of computing skills to penetrate, disrupt, or interfere with a computer system by non-standard avenues. Hacking is a controversial issue because this skill can be used for many different purposes both lawful and unlawful; ethical and unethical. Some hackers use their skills for criminal activities while others may use their skills to create cybersecurity defenses against malicious actors. Activists may use hacking to undermine dictatorship just as dictators might use hacking to suppress individual liberties.

Learn more about the Hacking Controversy.

Help in the fight against criminal hacking with a degree in cybersecurity .

A labor union refers to an organized alliance of workers, often joined by a shared industry or trade, but also frequently joined across different labor industries. Labor unions use a tactic referred to as collective bargaining to improve worker conditions, advance wages, and secure benefits, as well as supporting members in disputes with management, and engaging in political action and lobbying. The controversy over labor unions concerns the historical and ongoing conflict of ideals, methods and goals between labor leaders, organizers and union members on one side, and business management, ownership, and industry lobby groups on the other side.

Learn more about the Labor Unions Controversy.

Extremism refers to beliefs and actions that are of an extreme or fanatical nature. Extremism is often connected to political, religious or racialist ideologies that fall far outside of the mainstream. Extremism is often associated with fringe groups such as white supremacists, jihadist terrorists, or religious fundamentalists, and is distinguished from traditional activism for its radical and sometimes violent methods. The controversy over extremism centers on the disagreement between those who subscribe to extremist views and extremist actions, and those who reject the views or methods of extremism, as well as those who work actively to prevent extremism.

Learn more about the Extremism Controversy.

Gain a better understanding of the reasons people resort to extremism with a degree in psychology .

The United States Electoral College is a group of 538 delegates-representing the 50 United States and the District of Columbia-who meet every four years to elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Though the Electoral College is written into the U.S. Constitution, it is also a source of ongoing controversy. This is because the outcome of the electoral vote is the sole determinant of the presidency. Critics argue that this model renders the national popular vote meaningless, undermines the principle of “one-person, one vote,” and results in widespread voter disenfranchisement. Debate over the Electoral College has been magnified by recent elections in which the winner of the national popular vote did not win the electoral vote and thus, did not win the presidency.

Learn more about the Electoral College Controversy.

The term vaccine refers to a form of medical treatment which may be used to preemptively inoculate individuals and populations against infectious diseases. The controversy over vaccines stems from a social phenomenon called vaccine hesitancy, as well as an organized anti-vaccination, or anti-vax, movement. Those who support the use of vaccines point to extensive scientific evidence that vaccines are both safe and effective, whereas those who oppose vaccines believe that vaccines are either unnecessary or unsafe.

Learn more about the Vaccines Controversy.

Outsourcing refers to the business practice of hiring outside consultants, freelance workers, or third-party agencies to complete work that might otherwise be handled in-house. The practice of outsourcing is also highly connected to the rise of globalization, free-trade, and the practice of “offshoring,” in which American companies will open facilities and employ laborers in other countries where wage standards, environmental restrictions, and costs of operation are lower. The outsourcing controversy centers on the conflicting interests of corporate profitability and free market capitalism on one side, and, on the other side, concerns over heightened American unemployment and the exploitation of low-wage workers in the developing sphere.

Learn more about the Outsourcing Controversy.

Gun Control refers to legislation aimed at curbing gun violence in America. The gun control controversy centers on disagreement between sectors of the American public, as well as their political representatives, over the legal implications of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which grants Americans the right to bear arms. Some argue that the ongoing public health crisis of gun violence necessitates more restrictions around gun manufacturing, sales and ownership while others argue that such regulation is unconstitutional, disagree that stricter gun control laws would lower the occurrence of gun violence, and often point to underlying issues such as mental illness and the need for better training of police officers.

Learn more about the Gun Control Controversy.

United States foreign aid, also referred to as foreign assistance or international aid, is “aid given by the United States to other countries to support global peace, security, and development efforts, and provide humanitarian relief during times of crisis,” according to ForeignAssistance.gov. The controversy over foreign aid divides those who believe there are strategic, economic, and moral imperatives justifying this use of American resources for foreign aid versus those who believe this is a misappropriation of funding that should instead be spent on domestic priorities.

Learn more about the Foreign Aid Controversy.

Nuclear energy refers to the use of nuclear reactions such as nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and nuclear decay in order to produce power. The controversy over nuclear energy concerns both its perceived impact on the environment and its capacity for weaponization. This history of nuclear energy centers on the expansion of war-making capabilities and, specifically, the creation of weapons capable of mass casualty and mass destruction. But over time, nuclear energy has also become at once an ingrained part of the power grid in the United States and the world. Today, the global debate over nuclear energy concerns its safety, environmental impact, capacity for civil energy production, and its global proliferation as a source of potentially catastrophic weaponry.

Learn more about the Nuclear Energy Controversy.

Police brutality refers to the use of excessive or unnecessary force by law enforcement officers, but may also refer to excessive force used by corrections officers and prison officials. The controversy over police brutality centers on disagreement over the extent of force that law enforcement should be entitled to use while engaging suspects, perpetrators, prisoners, and other members of the general public. Those who believe that police brutality is a problem would argue that the current system of law enforcement gives officers too much discretion and impunity in using violent methods of engagement while those who don’t believe police brutality is a problem would argue that the dangerous nature of law enforcement requires that officers have far-reaching discretion in carrying out their duty, including the use of potentially violent confrontational tactics.

Learn more about the Police Brutality Controversy.

Help bring an end to police brutality with a degree in criminal justice .

Affirmative action refers to an array of policies and practices aimed at redressing historical and ingrained inequalities, especially those experienced by people of color and women as a consequence of systemic discrimination. Affirmative action usually takes the form of education and employment initiatives aimed at creating access and opportunities for individuals from groups that have faced such discrimination. The controversy over affirmative action divides those who believe this is an effective way to push back against the sociological impact of systemic discrimination versus those who believe affirmative action is either ineffective or is, itself, a discriminatory policy.

Learn more about the Affirmative Action Controversy.

A charter school is an educational institution that provides free and uniquely structured educational opportunities to students and families seeking an alternative to traditional public school. Charter schools are a product of the demand for greater school choice, especially in cities where public schools often struggle to provide a high quality educational experience. The controversy over charter schools concerns the belief that charter schools are a valuable alternative to traditional public schooling, especially for disadvantaged or at-risk student populations versus the belief that charter schools divert funding and resources from traditional public schools.

Learn more about the Charter Schools Controversy.

Trump and the “Big Lie”

The controversy over Trump and the “Big Lie” centers on the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election and Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn these results. In the months leading up to the November election, sitting President Donald Trump and his supporters and allies made widespread preemptive allegations that the outcome of the election would be rigged, and that a massive conspiracy was already underway involving crooked Democratic operatives, corrupt state voting commissions, preprogrammed voting machines, foreign Communist interference, and more.

Learn more about the Trump and the “Big Lie”.

Black Lives Matter is a modern protest movement centered around civil rights causes impacting Black Americans, especially as they relate to police brutality, vigilante violence, and institutional inequality in the American legal system. Black Lives Matter is at once a multi-chapter organization with concentrated leadership and a decentralized global movement engaged in widespread activism.

Learn more about the Black Lives Matter Movement .

A new surge in cases is gripping the United States. Schools all over the country are adopting vaccine mandates. Vaccine skeptics argue these mandates are a violation of individual liberties. A prominent anti-vaccination activist writes “Vaccination is the putting of an impure thing into the blood – a virus or poison – often resulting in serious evil effects. In vogue for more than one hundred years, it has been received by most persons without question. Yet the time is passing when people will accept a medical dogma on blind faith; they now demand to know something about the practices to which they are called on to submit.”

Learn more about the COVID Vaccine Mandates Controversy .

The controversy over Critical Race Theory (CRT) centers on whether or not this subject should be taught in schools. And to an extent, the Critical Race Theory controversy also extends from differing views on exactly what defines Critical Race Theory. To supporters, Critical Race Theory refers to a university-level subject that addresses the intersection between race, law, and systemic inequality. To opponents, Critical Race Theory refers to any effort to inject discourse over race, gender, diversity, or discrimination into public school curricuclum at any level of education. The result of these differing views–both on what defines CRT, and whether it should be taught in schools–is a heated public debate being placed out in city council chambers, school board meetings, and the halls of Congress.

Learn more about the Critical Race Theory Controversy:

• Controversial Topic: Critical Race Theory
• Critical Race Theorists

The cannabis industry is in a state of steady growth. For students already with a background in subjects like business, law, chemistry, and plant biology, this growth represents great professional opportunity. And for students interested in taking a more direct route, a number of fully accredited colleges and universities now offer courses, certifications, minors, and even four-year bachelor’s degrees in cannabis studies. We’ve highlighted the top schools for studying marijuana—and as a bonus, we’ve included a ranking of the Top Cannabis Influencers and the Most Influential Books About Cannabis from the last half-century.

Learn more about the Marijuana Legalization Controversy .

How Did We Choose these Controversies?

We wanted to know exactly which controversial topics were actually the “most controversial.”

Our machine-learning algorithm measures influence based on Wikipedia pageviews and links. This provides a point-based way of scoring the permeation, visibility, frequency, and quality of mentions. At AcademicInfluence, Influence Rankings are used to identify and rank academics and thought leaders for their relative influence.

Using our behind-the-scenes Ranking Analytics tool, we applied the same standard to measuring the breadth of a given controversy. Those topics which scored the most “influence points,” based on page views and links, could therefore be identified as the “most” controversial for the sheer breadth of coverage they have received in the public forum.

It should be noted that the breadth of topical coverage is not necessarily reflective of the intensity or emotional disagreement surrounding a given controversy so much as the degree to which it has been publicly discussed, debated, written on, and read about. In essence, “most controversial” is a measure of how widely a topic is covered and how widely people actually read the Wikipedia articles covering it.

What’s Missing and Why?

There is no limit to the number of topics that could be used to spark a spirited debate. Certainly, countless worthy topics have fallen just short of our decidedly exclusive list of 30. A topic which is close to your heart may not be here. Be assured, this is not because we overlooked these important topics, but because our Ranking Analytics revealed fewer page-views and links in connection with these topics than with those which did make our list.

Time frame also played a big role in our findings. Our search parameters were bound between the years 2000 and 2020. A different time frame would likely have revealed a different landscape of controversies.

Evolutionary theory, for instance, ranked #36 on our list, and therefore fell short of the Top 30. However, it is entirely likely that this topic would have ranked far higher on the same list had it been compiled to coincide with the Scopes Monkey Trial in the 1920s.

Limitations

Among the limitations to our method, our algorithm doesn’t provide a comprehensive measure of how related terms might rank for page views and links. However, it is our goal over time to refine our machine-learning engine to identify and account for more sweeping views of a given topic.

We should also note that discussions are largely focused on controversial debte topics in American public life. Far too many cultural, social, geographic, and political realities shape the different ways in which various national publics perceive and approach controversial topics. Such subject matter demands focus and context. Therefore, while some of the influencers and historical notes included may touch on controversy in countries other than the U.S., this is, by design, an ethnocentric list of controversial topics revolving around American controversies.

Digging Into Controversy: How We Do It

Now that you know how we’ve identified the most controversial topics, be aware that we have no intention of taking sides. Our goal is to identify these topics, and point colleges students and other readers in the direction of those who have helped to define the issue. Historical influencers and books have, like our list of controversial topics, been drawn directly from our Ranking Analytics. More current influencers have been drawn from a vetted selection of findings using our Academic Influence engine.

You will agree with some of the figures on each list. You will disagree with some of them. You may even be offended by the inclusion of some influencer in our discussion . But inclusion is not endorsement. It is merely acknowledgment of influence, for better or worse.

Our goal is to reach beyond the traditional point-counterpoint approach to controversial essay topics. Subjects usually generate controversy because they are complex, and because a wide spectrum of parties may be impacted in very different ways by these issues. This is why we do our best to provide a panoramic view of each controversy (as opposed to an approach which merely pits one side in competition with the other). The result, we hope, is the kind of nuanced discussion required to take on subjects of such complexity.

Therefore, we’ll lay out the subject matter, point you to the experts and thought leaders, and let you do the intellectual footwork. Like we said, learning is all about inquiry. Question everything, and don’t be afraid to lean into a little controversy.

Find additional study resources with a look at our study guides for students at every stage of the educational journey.

Or get valuable study tips, advice on adjusting to campus life, and much more at our student resource homepage .

Political Science & Law Research Guide: American Government Research Paper (101-75)

• Find Articles
• Find Statistics
• American Government Research Paper (101-75)
• Citing Sources
• For Faculty

A three-part assignment

Examine some aspect of the Federal Government and explain how its function and mission has changed due to the events of 9/11.

Evaluate the success of this agency in its new mission.

Assignment 1a (Part One)

• Choose a topic
• Start to gather information from reputable sources
• Post the topic in Blackboard

Assignment 1b (Part Two)

• Create a topic outline
• Create a Works Cited list in MLA format
• Submit these in Blackboard

Assignment 1c (Part Three)

• Create a draft of the body of the report
• Proofread & correct
• Submit through Turnitin in Blackboard

U.S. Government Sites

Websites that end in .gov are federal government websites and are considered credible sources.

• USA.gov (List of government agencies)
• U.S. Department of State
• National Security Agency (NSA)
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Department of Homeland Security

Opposing Viewpoints Database

The primary focus of this database is to provide information from various sources on major issues of the day. 

Articles on many of the topics for this assignment can be found in this product plus reference sources, video, audio, etc.

It is a great tool for choosing a topic.

• Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window Pro/con database of social issues.

Suggested terms for searching

The official subject heading for 9/11 is: September 11 terrorist attacks, 2001

• A search on 9/11 will bring up items with that information in the title or description ONLY
• To find EVERYTHING, use the subject heading language
• Do not search with acronyms or abbreviations--spell out the words

Other useful subject headings:

Use combinations of these words when searching the catalog or research databases--subject headings are always good search terms

Construct your searches using the word AND between terms--this narrows your search to include both concepts.

Example:  terrorism and privacy

Use the Advanced Search option which includes more opportunities for limiting the search plus several search windows with AND between the the windows

• War on Terrorism
• terrorism--United States--prevention
• terrorism--prevention
• United States--foreign relations--Middle East
• Middle East--foreign relations--United States
• international relations
• intelligence service
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (NOT FBI)
• Central Intelligence Agency (NOT CIA)
• National Security Agency (NOT NSA)
• military intelligence
• United States. Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001
• freedom of religion
• Islamic fundamentalism
• terrorism--religious aspects
• unlawful combatants
• counterinsurgency
• airports--security measures
• airline passenger security screening
• hijacking of aircraft --prevention
• commercial aeronautics--security measures
• aeronautics--safety measures
• airplane cockpits
• sky marshals (NOT air marshals)
• civil rights
• human rights
• electronic surveillance
• wiretapping
• national security
• emergency management
• immigration

For additional subject headings, see also the Homeland Security page on the Criminal Justice Research Guide .

Finding Books

Use the Find Books tab above to search the catalog for books.

Use the suggested search terms in the middle column to construct searches.

Broaden the search to All Formats to find books on listed topics in other local libraries, including the Hoover Library at McDaniel College. 

Use the Request button to get those books delivered to the local library of your choice.

Finding Articles

Use the Find Articles tab above to find articles in research databases.

The best databases for these topics are:

• Academic Search Premier
• Use the search tips under Help in the database to learn how to search efficiently in EBSCOhost databases
• Military & Government Collection (another EBSCOhost database)
• Current Issues databases
• Newspaper databases

Organizations

Use the Encyclopedia of Associations to find organizations by subject.

To use Google to find organizations, enter a search term and site:org.

• American Civil Liberties Union
• Brookings Institute (Defense & Security)
• Brookings Institute (U.S. Foreign Policy)
• Council on Foreign Relations (Defense/Homeland Security)
• Pew Research Center: Immigration Publications on immigration

Suggested Reference Books

Use Reference Books to get background information on a topic, identify good search terms, and find other resources.

• Encyclopedia of terrorism Call Number: REF HV6431 K883 2003
• Encyclopedia of world terrorism Call Number: REF HV6431 E53 2003
• Encyclopedia of terrorism Call Number: REF HV6431 C65 2007
• Terrorism : a documentary and reference guide Call Number: REF HV6432 B87 2005
• Terrorism : a documentary history Call Number: REF HV6431 T4594 2003
• Homeland security : a documentary history Call Number: REF UA927 H657 2004
• Global perspectives on the United States : a nation by nation survey Call Number: REF E895 G56 2007
• World at risk : a global issues sourcebook. Call Number: REF HN28 W67 2010
• Encyclopedia of American civil liberties Call Number: REF KF4747.5 E53 2006
• The encyclopedia of civil liberties in America Call Number: REF JC599 U5 E53 2005
• Encyclopedia of privacy Call Number: REF JC596.2 U5 E53 2007
• U.S. presidents and foreign policy : from 1789 to the present Call Number: REF E176.1 U16 2007
• Encyclopedia of American immigration Call Number: REF JV 6465 E53 2010
• Encyclopedia of law enforcement Call Number: REF HV7921 E53 2004
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• Next: Citing Sources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 10, 2024 2:38 PM
• URL: https://library.carrollcc.edu/political_science

128 Federalism Essay Topics & Examples

Need to write a federalism essay? Looking for good federalism topics and samples for inspiration? This article is a great place to start!

⭐ Federalism Essay Prompts: Federalism in the United States

🏆 best federalism topics & essay examples, 🎓 good research topics about federalism, 🔍 federalism essay topics: simple & easy, 💡 most interesting federalism topics to write about, ❓ federalism essay questions.

What is federalism? Essay writing always starts with research, and we can help you with it. In short, federalism is a mode of government that combines general and regional governments. Your argumentative federalism essay can focus on federalism’s importance. Or, you can show your understanding of a unique system of governance in the United States.

In this article, you will find 74 excellent federalism essay topics and research ideas. You can also read our samples and use our free topic generator !

With its extensive territory and large population, the US required a robust government to sustain its infrastructure and grow into the global superpower it is today. However, its unique circumstances at the time of the formation made methods that were standard at the time inapplicable, forcing the Founding Fathers to innovate.

As a result, even two hundred years later, each state retains a considerable degree of independence. Your essay can cover any of the many different topics of federalism and its theoretical and practical applications:

• You can center your essay on the conflicting ideas of Aristotelian happiness and utilitarianism, with the Republican and Democratic parties representing the options, respectively. The purpose of a country is to make sure that its citizens are as happy and comfortable as they can be. However, the task becomes complicated when the question of what happiness means is taken into consideration.
• The emergence of the United States as a federation is a great federalism essay topic that can be explained by the circumstances of the nation’s formation. After fighting off the British in the Revolutionary War, the territory that would become the United States remained a loose alliance of small states, which can be considered a confederation. However, the system was ultimately non-viable, and the Founding Fathers had to create a more centralized country by creating and ratifying the Constitution.
• Alternatively, you can focus on the role if Constitution and its history. At first, many states formed anti-federalist movements and opposed the initiative, but eventually, they agreed to it after their concerns were addressed in the Bill of Rights. The Constitution has been amended many times, but its core has remained unchanged. The United States is still a federation, and its states can adopt many critical laws without requiring the approval of the central government.
• Discuss the idea of federalism in other countries that do not currently use it, providing examples. How much do the United States’ unique circumstances contribute to its ability to maintain a federation?
• Talk about examples of other federations that currently exist or have existed in the past. Some of their models differ considerably from that used in the United States.
• Discuss the idea of confederations and the reason why few to no countries can be classified as one despite their titles.

Find more ideas and excellent federalism essay samples below!

• Federalism System, Its Advantages and Disadvantages The system causes government to have control of itself because of great rivalry of power between the state and the nation.
• Federalism Advantages and Disadvantages This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of a federal system of government. A federal government can either be centralized where the central government has broad powers compared to state or provincial powers, or a […]
• Federalism of the United States The end result showed that the federal government was using publicly owned land, which in the end, belonged to all citizens of the United States, thus the local state government had to make sure the […]
• Costs and Benefits of Federalism Conflicts between the state and national government in the running of the United States is one of the major costs of federalism. Federalism leads to the formation of small political units that help in the […]
• Cooperative Federalism in the USA A vivid example of the implementation of the concept of dual federalism is the United States of America in the form in which they were initially formed.
• Federalist Paper Number 10 It is one of the most influential papers and it talks about faction and the role of government in regulating it as well as liberty. According to him, legislation should be put in place to […]
• The United States Federalism and Political Culture Having established the central values of the United States’ political culture, it is worth discussing how some of them align with the concepts of federalism and anti-federalism. Therefore, it can be concluded that federalism is […]
• “American Federalism” Article by Derthick This article considers the issue of the effective distribution of powers between the central and federal administrations. Thus, it shows the division of powers between the national and federal administrations in 1965-1980 and the current […]
• Healthcare Regulations and Federalism’s Impact Although the ACA established the regulations for getting the coverage on federal levels, the government had to allow local policy-making due to the high autonomy of many regions.
• The Account of the Pros and Cons of Federalism To conclude, federalism and devolution are rather efficient forms of the state government provided they are properly implemented in the country.
• The Federalist Papers to Understand the United States Constitution The purpose of the federalist papers was to convince the people of New York to ratify the proposed constitution because most of the other states had already done so.
• The Impact of Fiscal Federalism on Financial Operations The ADA requirements influenced the fiscal and budgetary operations of American College Health Association in terms of enforcement of employment rights and observing the rights of employers and students with disabilities.
• American Federalism: Why It Is Good for the Nation? In conclusion, it is necessary to note that historical, political, and cultural peculiarities of the United States make federalism the most appropriate type of governance for the country.
• The Major Eras of American Federalism The second category consists of the powers, which are “not delegated to [the national government of] the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states” and are referred to as the […]
• Fiscal Federalism: The Performance of Third-Party Implementers In the article ‘Public Performance and Management Review,’ the research question is “what can states do to maximize the performance of third-party implementers in the context of fiscal federalism?” The theory included a review of […]
• 10th Amendment & Federalism The 10th Amendment reads “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”.
• The Constitutional Debate About Government and Federalism The government provided for by this document was weak and this necessitated drafting of the American constitution after Shays Rebellion in the spring of 1787. There have been major changes in the media and technology […]
• The Current State of Federalism in the 21st Century The outcome of the civil war of the 60-is of the XIX century was the doctrine of eternal union, recognizing the U.S.as a single state, created by the will of the entire American people, excluding […]
• Federalism, Intergovernmental Relations, Fragmegration Finally there will be an analysis made of the difference in the theory of Fenno, Dahl and Lowi as compared to the normal text book definitions in regard to representation and legislation.
• Constitutionalism and Federalism in State Politics The Constitution highlighted the fundamentals of American federalism and testified the domination of the centralization. As it can be view, the problem of centralization and decentralization was of great concern in the course of the […]
• Federalism and Medical Marijuana Needless to say, United States faced political and social challenges as well, and the disputes over federalism and over the legal use of marijuana in medicine are still the most burning and controversial issues in […]
• Federalists, Anti-federalist, and Republican Debate Generally, the state, that: It gave too much authority to the nationwide administration at the expenditure of the state management. Of these criticisms, the lack of a bill of rights was the most efficient.
• Political Science. The Federalist Papers The inspiration for this constitution, the framework, the framers, and the people who opted to choose the right path and inspiration, is the subject for this paper.
• Federalism Implications for Medicaid in California An example used to compare and contrast the two metaphors is the system of Medicaid as controlled by the federal government and by the state government.
• Federalism and Gun Control in the United States 2 Each type of government possesses a set of duties and powers that it can exercise in the region, and the relationship between the levels is established in the Constitution.
• Federalism: Policy Issues and Recommended Changes The concept of federalism is a well-known political trend, and the emphasis on its promotion is the practice that leaders of many states adhere to and develop.
• Constitutional Convention of 1787 and Federalism James Madison was the key player on the issue of commerce under the Articles of the Confederation. He wanted the states to maintain the standards for the success of the social programs he wanted to […]
• Federalism and Government Styles in the United States It is because the individual at the top is held accountable by the leaders of the local authorities. Top on the list is the fact that the division of power between the central government and […]
• Presidential Power in Hamilton’s Federalist No. 70 The analogy presented in the Federalist paper number seventy formed the basis of the present-day powerful executive in the United States.
• Judicial Branch in Hamilton’s Federalist Papers In this context, the purpose of the judicial branch should not be misunderstood and viewed with reference to the purposes of the executive and legislative branches.
• Aristocracy Assailed: The Ideology of Backcountry Anti-Federalism The author examines the views of the consensus historians and the attitudes of the anti-federalists towards the idea of American democracy.
• Contemporary American Federalism Dual federalism is a system characterized by a national government that only governs by the rules that have been laid out in the constitution, national and state governments that are supreme in their allocated spheres […]
• Federalist Paper No. 51 He states that all the different arms of the government, as per the constitution, should be independent of one another though they should work in the direction of achieving the same constitutional goals it was […]
• The Aggranoff’s Version of Federalist No. 44 Provision of the relevant leadership and administrative is by implementing policies and procedures that are standard in relation with what the nation anticipates. Additionally, evaluation of citizens’ performance in the work field and confirming whether […]
• Significance of Anti-Federalist Papers Therefore, it is important to note that the anti-federalist paper served as an alternative voice by helping to pinpoint spheres that needed to be rectified to ensure that the constitution that was in the process […]
• No Child Left behind Act: Federalism Concept Based on the three branches of a federal government, the legislative branch is bestowed with the responsibility of making the law.
• Federalism and Policy Formulation This should be made with regard to views of the stakeholders since every federal government’s view must be represented in formulating the policies.
• Current Issue in Federalism This has triggered the debate to shift from the state courts and legislatures to the federal courts with the interest groups looking for the best platform to present their case.
• Federalism and separation of powers In the American constitution, specific powers were bestowed upon the national government and in the tenth amendment of 1791, it stated “the powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by […]
• The Bill of Rights and the Anti-Federalist Concerns The Effects of the Bill of Rights Due to these facts and the essence of the Bill of Rights, it can be said that the efforts of the Anti-Federalists were not in vain.
• Federalism in the United States The power assignments of the national government comprises of both implied and expressed powers. The Implied powers permit the central government to come up with decisions, which are not part of the expressed powers.
• The Case for a Federalism Amendment The main agenda here is the evenness or equality on how the powers are shared between the federal government and the states governments without interfering with the rights of their people. For instance, the states […]
• Modern American Federalism Development and evolution of democracy over the centuries has been focusing on devolution of central powers of government to increase independence of the local states.
• The Evolution of American Federalism Madison alone wrote over 20 articles on the subject and helped in the development and ratification of the US constitution and the 39th article as well as Federalist 51 is regarded as the most indicative […]
• Federalism in United States Federalism is therefore defined as a coordination of the regime in which control and the influence of power is partitioned with an attempt to distribute it in the central government and the constituent supporting units.
• An Overview of the Change of Federalism and the Great Depression
• The Implications of Elections for Federalism in Iraq: Toward a Five-Region Model
• A Look at Power Shifts in Intergovernmental Relations as a Result of Fiscal Federalism
• The Major Role Federalism Has Played in Our Government
• Understanding the Political Ideology of Federalism and the Role of the Federal Government
• An Initial Evaluation of Revenue-Sharing Arrangements in the New South African Fiscal Federalism
• A Comparison of Federalism and Anti-Federalism and Their Arguments
• Using Benefit-Cost Criteria for Settling Federalism Disputes: An Application to Food Safety Regulation
• Adjusting To Economic Growth In Toronto Amalgamation And Federalism
• Why Is Federalism Is The Best Option For The Philippines
• Advantages And Disadvantages Of American Federalism
• An Analysis of the Essential Principles of Federalism in the United States Government
• An Analysis of the Three Examples of How Federalism Which Evolved From Its Origins To the American Political System
• The Political Economy of Immigration Enforcement: Conflict and Cooperation under Federalism
• A Fiscal Federalism Analysis of Debt Policies by Sovereign Regional Governments
• An Evaluation of Federalism and the Civil War in America
• What Is Federalism And How Does It Relate To State Governments And Other Forms Of Governance
• Beyond National Standards: Reconciling Tension between Federalism and the Welfare State
• An International Multi-Level System of Competition Laws: Federalism in Antitrust
• Understanding Federalism Based on the Section: Picket-Fence Federalism
• The Possible Impact of Federalism in the Government of America
• The Tragedy of the Commons or the Curse of Federalism
• A Research on American History: Federalism in the United States
• An Overview of the Power Shift in Intergovernmental Relations as a Result of Fiscal Federalism
• The National Schoolmarm: No Child Left Behind and the New Educational Federalism
• The Relation of Federalism and Poverty in the US
• A Report on the Methods of the Constitution to Guard Against Tyranny: Federalism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and Equal Representation
• Walking in the Shadow of Pressman and Wildavsky: Expanding Fiscal Federalism and Goal Congruence Theories to Single-Shot Games
• A Description of Federalism as a Type of Government Where Power is Separated Between a National Government and Various Regional Governments
• A Description of the Federalist Papers and Federalism
• Asymmetric Information and Regional Transfers: Federalism versus Devolution
• The Role Of Federalism And Its Effect On American Government
• A Fatal Distraction from Federalism – Religious Conflict in Rakhine
• An Empirical Study of US Environmental Federalism: RCRA Enforcement From 1998 to 2011
• An Analysis of the Extent of the Influence of the Constitution and Federalism on the Political Culture of the United States
• An Analysis of the Federalism in the Government System of 18th Century United States
• An Analysis of the Political System of Federalism in the United States of America
• Adapting Federalism: Indigenous Multilevel Governance in Canada and the United States
• A Reconsideration of Environmental Federalism
• The Welfare Economics of Autarky, Federalism, and Federation Formation
• An Introduction to the Analysis of Federalism
• A Description of American Federalism as a Form of Government in Which the Constitution Distributes Governmental Powers
• Between the National Government
• The Lessons That The American Experience With Federalism
• The Institutional Basis of Secessionist Politics: Federalism and Secession in the United States
• An Analysis of Federalism and the French Canadians, an Ideological Anthology by Pierre Elliot Trudeau
• What Makes Strong Federalism Seem Weak? Fiscal Resources and Presidential-Provincial Relations in Argentina
• The Origin in Forming a Governmental Structure in Favor of the Newly Formed Constitution of Federalism
• Understanding the Concept of Federalism in Political Science
• The Use of Federalism in the Philippines Under the Administration of President Duterte
• Abortion: The Impact of Federalism and the Separation of Power
• The Role of Liberty and Democracy in the Enhancement of the Principles of Canadian Federalism in the Present and Future
• Bargaining for Fiscal Control: Tax Federalism in Brazil and Mexico, 1870-1940
• What Are Advantages and Disadvantages of Division of Powers and Checks and Balances and Federalism?
• Who Limits Environmental Federalism in Croatia?
• What Was the New Deal and Why Was It So Important in Terms of Federalism?
• How Has Federalism Changed the Nation?
• What Explains the Paradox of Tobacco Control Policy Under Federalism in the U.S. And Canada?
• Does Federalism Weaken Democratic Representation in the United States?
• What Makes Strong Federalism Seem Weak?
• Why Did Framers Choose Federalism?
• What Is a Benefit of Federalism?
• How Has Federalism Changed Since the Ratification of the Constitution?
• What Role Does the “Federalism Bonus” Play in Presidential Selection?
• Can Courts Make Federalism Work?
• How Does Federalism Protect Future Generations From Today’s Public Debts?
• What Is the 10th Amendment and Why Is It So Important to Understanding Federalism?
• Does Federalism Induce Patients’ Mobility Across Regions?
• How Has Indian Federalism Done?
• What Was the Great Society and Why Was It So Important in Terms of Federalism?
• Does Fiscal Federalism Promote Regional Inequality?
• How Have Federal Mandates Effected the Ideas of Federalism?
• Does Nature Limit Environmental Federalism?
• What Issues Most Influence Federalism Today?
• How Does Modern Federalism Work Effectively in a Complex, Networked World?
• What Are the Differences Between “Separation of Powers” and “Federalism”?
• Who Honors the Rules of Federalism?
• What Is Cooperative Federalism?
• Why Does Procedural Federalism Remain in the USA?
• What Is the Main Purpose of Federalism in Government?
• How Does Russian Federalism Work?
• What Did the Federalists Believe Threatened the Nation in the Election of 1800?
• Why Is Federalism Important to the Constitution?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Top 100 American Government Essay Topics for Students

Sep 3, 2021 | 0 comments

Sep 3, 2021 | Topics | 0 comments

Students who want to enjoy civics need to develop an interest in American government essay topics. Students can find it hard at first, but they might grow more interested and write thought-provoking ideas about the American government later on. This is because of their careful choice when writing essays with titles that are intriguing for them personally. If you need help writing a paper about American history, look no further than this list of essay ideas! You won’t be able to choose just one – these topics are sure to excite your interest and spark creativity in the best way possible. With any luck, by using them as inspiration for research work, students will not have much trouble coming up with quality essays that their teachers will take notice of.

American government essay topics

• Problems with American Democracy
• Foreign-Born American Can Become the President
• The Current Relationship between the American Citizens and the United States Government
• The Function of the Articles of Confederation
• How politics originated in America
• The 3 Branches of the American Government
• Making of the New Government
• American government: are they cruel or merciful?
• Racial Segregation Of the US
• An Accurate Assessment of the American Political System
• Contributors to our Successful Government
• The concept of power balance in the US government
• Changes in the American Government
• Three Branches of American Government
• The United States presidents that Pleased the people most
• Problems with the electoral college
• President Trump and His Policies
• What is the connection between the American government and the media
• United States Government Welfare
• Contentions between the American government and the citizens
• Tension In California Politics
• The Roots and Reform of American Government
• Gay Marriage and the Government
• Corruption in the US Government
• How to reduce corruption in the US government
• The Woman in the American Government
• Electoral College Reform
• Major Accomplishments of President Barack Obama
• Federalist versus Antifederalists
• What impact do social movements have on the American government?
• The philosophy of politics
• The Involvement of Government with the Daily Life of Americans
• The Articles of Confederation
• The First American President
• Problems with the American constitution
• How World War II Transformed American Government and Society
• American Constitutional Law
• Classical Conservatism vs Classical Liberalism
• Historical Ideas That Influenced The American Government
• The link between politics and religion
• Direct Popular Vote vs Electoral College
• How is terrorism affecting the US government?
• How international relations have impacted the US in the last ten years
• Should American democracy grant more power to the people
• The American Republic Government vs Aristotelian Government
• Why the American government should regulate internet safety
• Privacy and the American Government
• American Federalism and the New Deal
• Foundations of American Government
• How did the fourteenth amendment affect civil liberties in the US after it was passed at the end of the civil war?
• Communist Ideas in American Government
• What the US citizens think about the government
• The Need for Diversity in American Government
• Privacy: The American People vs the Government
• Development of the American Constitution
• Electing Supreme Court Justices
• The pros and cons of democracy
• The top priorities of the US government
• Foundations of the US Government
• Current Top Issues of the United States National Government
• The Reaction of American Government to September 11
• Bill and Bill: The Government and the American People
• Do Americans enjoy enough civil rights?
• Ideologies Of The American Government
• Social Security: Impacts of Its Disappearance
• The History of the American Federal Government
• Is it the role of the government to prevent gambling addictions, and should they ban lotteries?
• Why presidents deserve the privilege to serve for more than two terms if the citizens want them
• The US government and Native American
• What political decision has changed America the most
• American Diets: Why Government Should Not Control It
• Illustration of the Founding Principles of America
• Checks and Balances System in America
• How is the threat of terrorism affecting the American government?
• Roosevelt as an American Leader
• Why a female president is ideal for the US

Get Help from the Experts with your American Government Essay Topics Paper

There are a lot of interesting topics to consider when writing an essay on the American Government. Is there one that interests you the most? The list we’ve provided has some suggestions for where to start your research, but if none of them sounds like they would be suitable for what you want in your paper, don’t worry! You can also contact us and get help from professional writers with your paper today. Place your order now and see how great it feels not having homework at home tonight!  

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American Government Research Paper

View sample American Government Research Paper. Browse other research paper examples and check the list of political science  research paper topics for more inspiration. If you need a research paper written according to all the academic standards, you can always turn to our experienced writers for help. This is how your paper can get an A! Also, chech our custom research proposal writing service for professional assistance. We offer high-quality assignments for reasonable rates.

I. Introduction

Academic writing, editing, proofreading, and problem solving services, get 10% off with 24start discount code, ii. states in the federal system, iii. variety and inequality, iv. state political structures, a. state constitutions, b. governors, c. state legislatures, d. state judicial systems, e. bureaucracy, v. local governments, a. county government, b. municipal government, vi. conclusion.

The study of state and local government is essentially the study of all that is not national government in the United States—the 50 states and the more than 88,000 other subnational units of government from counties to small towns, fire districts, school districts, and water districts. Typically, the study of cities—communities of larger than 50,000 people—is considered a separate realm of inquiry. The distinction among these layers of government has been confounded in recent years with the emergence of the metropolis—such as the so-called BosWash region that encompasses the Northeast corridor from Boston to the nation’s capital and includes all the cities, suburbs, and rural areas in between.

This research paper examines where state and local government sit in the American national political system and then focuses on the internal workings of each level, looking at executives, legislatures, judicial systems, political participation, and policy making.

State governments, and the municipalities within them, preceded the creation of the national government. A drive through the northeastern United States will reveal cities and towns founded in the 1600s and 1700s, long before the 1787 writing of the founding document of the nation in which they sit. Thirteen states were viable political entities at the time of the American Revolution. The states had their own constitutions, forms of government, political processes, political cultures, and political identities. Virginians, New Yorkers, and Pennsylvanians existed long before Americans.

The preexistence of states had a profound impact on the design of the Constitution and continues to shape the operation of American politics today. The president is elected by electoral votes, which are allocated to states. This unique electoral institution determines presidential campaign strategy and, some argue, has an impact on presidential policy making as the president responds to the states that are vote rich. Both chambers of Congress are organized geographically, with Senators originally chosen by state legislators (until the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, which ushered in direct election) and House members elected from districts within states. The shape of these districts is determined by state legislatures, creating one of the most politically charged elements of American politics, as state legislatures use their line-drawing powers to the benefit of the party that controls that legislature. The Constitution itself can be amended only with the approval of three fifths of the state legislatures, making constitutional change by this method rare indeed.

Clearly, state governments matter a great deal in American politics. The impact of structural elements outlined is enhanced by the constitutional allocation of power between the state and federal governments. Articles I, II, and III of the Constitution allocate certain powers to the national level of government. Many powers and many areas of authority are not mentioned in the provisions and have been, over the course of 220 years of constitutional history, contested terrain between state power and national power. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, often called the states-rights amendment, asserts that all powers not granted to the national government or denied to the states “are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people” (U.S. Constitution, 1787, Amendment Ten). This reserved-powers clause has been used by state governments with considerable success to fend off national incursion into state sovereignty. In 1997, for example, in Printz v. U.S., the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a provision of the Brady Bill gun control bill that required local police to conduct background checks for handgun purchases. The Court saw this provision as a violation of the federal division of powers. Also in 1997, a federal district court affirmed the right of the voters of California when they passed Proposition 209 banning affirmative action by public institutions in the state. The proposition is in direct contraction to federal policy but was allowed to stand by the Court. Not all attempts to assert state sovereignty succeed. In 1985, in Garcia v. San Antonio MTA, the Court added to a long line of decisions, beginning with the New Deal, that permitted federal regulation of the conditions of labor for state and local employees, including minimum wage, maximum hours, and the right to unionize.

In the early 21st century, the boundaries between state and federal authority remain unclear. In the area of medical marijuana, for example, at least 14 states have laws that permit the cultivation, distribution, and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and several have decriminalized marijuana altogether. However, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, and there have been numerous incidents, notably in California, where medical marijuana dispensaries, operating in a manner consistent with state law, have been shut down by federal authorities. In the 2005 Gonzales v. Raich, the Supreme Court asserted the federal government’s power to prohibit the use of marijuana even for medicinal purposes. This particular federal–state dispute remains active as more states indicate the likelihood of relaxing marijuana laws at the state level.

States remain vibrant, vital sovereign actors in American politics. Constitutional provisions, centuries-old practice, and Supreme Court decision making will ensure that state–federal tension remains a significant dynamic in the system.

One of the frequently cited benefits of an American-style federal system is the variety offered by the existence of 50 sovereign states. From the physical differences between the Alaska tundra and the Hawaiian tropics, to the cultural differences between Utah and Florida, to the economic differences between Mississippi (median household income of $37,700) and Connecticut (median household income of $70,500) and the political differences between Rhode Island (63% voted for Obama) and Wyoming (33% voted for Obama), diversity is an undeniable fact of American life. This diversity provides a number of benefits. It provides an array of opportunities and options for American citizens in terms of economic opportunity and lifestyle choices. Political scientist Daniel Elazar (1984) observed three distinct political cultures in the United States. His successor in the field, Joel Lieske, identified 10 regional subcultures (Bowman & Kearney, 2008). These allow for the prediction of quality of life, business climate, expansiveness of government programming, and other features.

Anyone traveling around the United States can observe differences in speed limits, motorcycle helmet laws, hours of operation of bars, and severity of punishment for crimes (three-strikes laws and the presence of a death penalty). These obvious differences among states are the surface manifestations of the considerable leeway that states have to determine policy agendas.

Many observers note that some of the most significant policy innovations in contemporary American history have begun as experiments at the state level. Welfare-to-work programs, universal health insurance, charter schools, and family leave policies are in this category.

As noted, however, the presence of state autonomy with regard to public policy can produce inequities among Americans that derive from the state in which they live. Federal laws such as the No Child Left Behind Act attempt to mandate a national standard for education. Federal programs such as Food Stamps and Medicaid ensure a base level of benefits to the poor regardless of geography. Even with these programs, there is considerable variation in the funding levels and quality of services from state to state.

Article IV of the U.S. Constitution lays out several rules that must be followed by all states if they are to be members of the union: Each state shall give full faith and credit to the records and documents of every other state, citizens of every state shall have all the privileges and immunities granted to citizens of each state, and every state shall have a republican form of government. Article I, Section 10 prohibits states from doing certain things: coining money, entering into treaties, passing ex post facto laws, among others. Beyond these relatively few requirements, states are free to design their own forms of government.

Although there is some variety from one state to the next in constitutional structures and processes, most states mimic the national level of government, with three branches, checks and balances, regularly scheduled elections, substate units of government with some degree of autonomy, and some set of civil rights and liberties guaranteed to the citizens.

Beyond those basic structural similarities lie significant differences among state constitutions. Massachusetts has the oldest constitution, adopted in 1780. Georgia, on the other hand, adopted a new constitution in 1983 (Saffell & Basehart, 2001). Some constitutions are very long, like Alabama’s with over 340,000 words, some are rather short, like New Hampshire’s with 9,200 words, although none as short as the U.S. Constitution with 8,700 words (Bowman & Kearney, 2008). Most state constitutions are relatively easy to amend, including by popular initiative. In 17 states, the constitution can be amended by majority vote of the legislature. In 18 states, the constitution can be amended by majority vote of the electorate. California’s Proposition 209, noted previously, is one example of this. Thirty-one states have constitutional amendments restricting the definition of marriage to a union between one man and one woman. The result is a proliferation of provisions attached to many state constitutions. In 2002, a provision was added to the Florida constitution that prohibits “cruel and unusual confinement of pigs during pregnancy” (Bowman & Kearney, 2008, p. 59). Seven constitutions have bills of rights that make mention of dueling (Saffell & Basehart, 2001).

One of the most controversial recent uses of the state constitution amendment process has been in the area of gay marriage. In the United States, demands for equal treatment for all citizens regardless of race, gender, religion, age, and disability have been made and resolved, for the most part, at both the state and national levels. Such demands for equality in the matter of sexual orientation are still contested terrain in U.S. politics. Family law is typically the province of state governments, and so the battle about the legality of same-sex marriages is being fought in that arena. Since state courts, state attorneys general, and local town clerks have frequently found no basis in law for denying a marriage license to same-sex couples, many states have responded by defining marriage as between one man and one woman either by statute (in 12 states) or by an amendment to the state constitution (in 29 states). Virtually all of these amendments have been adopted since 2000. Most notably, in California, in November 2008, voters approved Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. This vote came only months after a California court had ruled same-sex marriage as constitutional in that state. So the voters changed the constitution, redefining the rights of gay Californians (Archibold & Goodnough, 2008). The ease with which many state constitutions can be amended by both legislatures and voters have resulted in some constitutions with hundreds of amendments: South Carolina with 484, California with 848, and Alabama with 1,028. The result is constitutions that are weighed down with anachronistic policy mandates; confusing, overlapping, and conflicting prohibitions; and special protections for groups that have been savvy enough to take advantage of the amendment process.

Starting in the 1960s and continuing to this day, most states have been undertaking a process of constitutional reform to address some of the flaws of these wordy, policy-laden documents. Bowman and Kearney (2008) reveal that between 1960 and 1980, every state altered its constitution to some degree, and 10 states replaced their constitutions completely. The process of reform, which is connected to similar trends in other areas of state government to be discussed in subsequent sections, continues.

The governor is the chief executive of the state, charged with the day-to-day operation of the state. Yet the aversion to executive power that suffuses the national government is present at the state level as well. In early state constitutions, governors were often limited to single terms, or even one-year terms, and had no veto power, no budgeting power, and no appointment power. In some states, the governors themselves were appointed by the legislature. As with the national government, as the states grew more complex, the need for effective executive power became clear. And throughout the 19th century, state legislatures revealed themselves to be prone to corruption, and their oversight of the budget and administration of state government became problematic. The reform movement of the Progressive Era led to some changes in the allocation of power at the state level as governors’ terms were lengthened and many were given the veto power. The first half of the 20th century was a period of little change in state government as the federal government grew rapidly and, with the New Deal, gathered much tax, spending, and programmatic power to Washington, D.C.

Throughout this period, right through the mid-1960s, the mal-apportionment of state legislatures rendered most governors powerless in the face of their legislatures. Virtually all state legislative lines were relics of earlier times, drawn before populations of immigrants and farm workers swelled the size of American cities. So by the early 1960s, state legislatures were dominated by representatives from tiny rural districts. Governors, on the other hand, were elected statewide in response to the needs of the population centers. But without legislative approval, governors were unable to push their policy agendas. In Tennessee, one Charles Baker of Memphis pointed out to the Supreme Court that his district, with its one representative, had 10 times as many people in it as neighboring rural districts. This underrepresentation of urban districts in both state legislatures and the U.S. House of Representatives was ruled a violation of the equal-protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The 1962 Baker v. Carr decision was crucial in the reallocation of power within state legislatures from the rural areas to the population centers and removal of legislative barriers to the governors’ ability to make policy (Weber & Brace, 1999). At the same time, changes at the federal level were pushing more decision-making authority and some money down to the state level.

Starting in the 1970s with President Nixon’s New Federalism and continuing on through Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, the so-called devolution revolution redesigned federal programs by loosening up guidelines on how federal grant money could be spent at the state level. Categorical grants in which Congress determined the shape of programs were redesigned as block grants in which governors could choose how to spend the federal dollars within loose national guidelines. Governors became important policy actors with dramatically enhanced responsibility for program design and implementation.

Again, the formal powers of a governor vary from state to state, but it is the case that the overall status and importance of the governorship has been dramatically enhanced since the founding of the American republic. The significance of the office can be seen by the number of governors who have gone on to become presidents in recent years—Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush—and the number of governors (four) who have been tapped to serve in the Obama administration—Vilsack of Iowa at the Department of Agriculture, Locke of Washington at the Department of Commerce, Sebelius of Kansas at the Department of Health and Human Services, and Napolitano of Arizona at the Department of Homeland Security.

Because governors are both politicians and administrators, with a wide range of policy areas as their responsibility, and are on duty in their states around the clock, they are seen by many experts as more likely to be better prepared for the presidency than are members of Congress. Most scholars agree that today’s governors are the following:

better educated, more experienced in state government and more competent than their predecessors. Never before has the strength and policy influence of the governors been surpassed. . . . The governors have displayed greater capability and vigor than ever before. (Bowman & Kearney, 2008, p. 195)

As with governors, its is difficult to generalize about state legislatures except to say that most are part-time, all but one are bicameral, and all serve the functions of representation, legislation, and oversight of the executive branch (Bowman & Kearney, 2008). The National Council of State Legislatures has divided states into categories based on length of session. Red states have legislatures that are in session for at least 80% of the work year. Those serving in these bodies earn a salary that allows them to be full-time legislators. It is clear that larger states, with complex policy needs, fall into this category. In 2006, a California legislator earned $110,000, while a legislator serving in New Hampshire earned $200.

In terms of processes, state legislatures work much the same way that the U.S. Congress does. Members are elected from districts and must attend to the needs of their constituents. Yet they must also participate in the making of state policy by serving on committees, writing and voting on legislation, and interacting with the governor and the state bureaucracy. As with the governor, as demands put on states have increased since the 1960s, many state legislatures have become increasingly professionalized by adding staff, lengthening sessions, and raising salaries. In some states, this had led to the same kind of incumbency effects that exist at the national level as some legislators hold on to their seats for decades. In reaction to this, throughout the 1990s, voters in 15 states adopted initiatives that limited state legislatures’ terms in some ways. Term limits in the state legislatures were expected to bring in new blood, eliminate entrenched interests, and make the body more representative of minority groups in the population that had been locked out by incumbents. According to several studies, however, term limits in state legislatures have produced a slower-working institution, a stronger governor, more influential interest groups, and term-limited legislators who are less, not more, responsive to constituents. Further, there has been no measurable increase in the representation of underrepresented groups in state houses.

What is clear is that important policy decisions are made in state capitals. Political scientists must attend to the analytical and decision-making capacity of both governors and state legislatures. The challenges facing state governments are enormous since many face large deficits, job losses, crumbling infrastructure, flawed education systems, and other major policy problems. Is the capacity to address these problems present in the states? The answer to that question will be revealed in the early decades of the 21st century.

State courts process 100 million cases a year, which is 99% of all the cases heard in American courts (cited in Weber & Brace, 1999). Clearly it is state courts that are the heart of the U.S. judicial system. As with governors and state legislatures, state courts have changed significantly over the past 40 years, professionalizing and reforming to enhance their efficiency and legitimacy. State courts deal with a wide range of issues that affect the daily lives of all Americans: family law, traffic law, property disputes, debt collection, and criminal law. State courts are also usually the first to look at cases that can have monumental constitutional import, from whether to allow prayer in public schools to the appropriateness of race-based admissions in state law schools to whether local governments can seize private property for economic development purposes.

As with legislatures and executives, there is considerable variability among the structures and processes of state judicial systems. Some states have multiple types of courts, some have elected judges, some have mandatory sentencing, others have three-strikes laws, and still others have considerable judicial discretion regarding the disposition of cases.

One of the major structural features that distinguish one state court system from the next is the method for selecting judges. For many years, starting with Mississippi in 1832 and continuing throughout the 19th century as new states entered the union, the judicial selection process of choice was election by the state legislature or by election of the voters. Both of these methods came under criticism during the Progressive Era as reformers voiced concern about the ability of elected judges in particular to have the qualifications, objectivity, and accountability to make sound judicial findings. In 1937, the American Bar Association introduced and endorsed the Missouri Plan, which involved a judicial nominating commission recommending judicial nominees to the governor. The governor would then appoint those recommended (should he choose to); the appointees would take office and then be ratified by the voters in a so-called retention vote at the next regularly scheduled election. Twenty-three states use some form of this method (not always including the retention vote), 22 continue to use elections, and 5 use pure gubernatorial appointment. As with the trends in constitutional, executive, and legislative reform, state judiciaries have followed a pattern of increasing professionalism and modernization (Bowman & Kearney, 2008).

One of the characteristics of state government that does not mimic federal government is the so-called long ballot, which provides for the election of numerous statewide officials, who, at the federal level, would be appointed by the executive. This feature is a reflection of the early suspicion of executive power, and despite numerous attempts at reform, it has remained an element of most state governments. So the heads of major state departments—the attorney general, the state treasurer, and the commissioner of education—are often elected by the voters and immune to gubernatorial control. Although this allows for greater responsiveness to the public, it does create opportunities for gridlock or redundancy in policy making.

State bureaucracies and their counterparts at the local level are the agencies that delivery virtually all public goods and services, from education to transportation to policing, parks, waste management, and water supplies. The precise form of this service-delivery mechanism varies significantly from state to state, with some states relying on strong county government structures to deliver most services and others relying on local governments at the point where the rubber meets the road. Some states are complex systems of elected or appointed boards and commissions to advise on or make policies, while others are not. In 2008, state governments employ about 3.8 million (down from 4.6 million people in 1992). Of these, 1.2 million work in higher education, 477,000 in corrections, and 377,000 in corrections (U.S. Census, 2009). In the last half of the 20th century, the functions of government have become more complex, and the devolution revolution has shifted responsibility for delivering services from the federal government to the states. Along with these developments has come increased attention to the need for efficiency and transparency in the delivery of state services. As with governors and legislatures, state bureaucracies have, over the course of the past several decades, undergone a wave of reform and professionalization. One of the elements of reform has been consolidation. In 1993, for example, South Carolina reduced the number of state agencies from 79 to 17 and eliminated many boards and commissions (Saffell & Basehart, 2001). Many states have adopted some form of performance budgeting, in which agencies’ budgets are tied to the quality of services delivered. Some states have looked to privatization of some services as a means of improving service delivery and saving money. And virtually all state governments have moved in significant ways into so-called e-government, eliminating much of the paperwork and waiting lines that had been the source of public frustration at such agencies as motor vehicle registries and public assistance agencies.

Each year, Governing magazine, in collaboration with the Pew Center on the States, grades the 50 states on their performance in four areas of public management: budgeting, personnel management, infrastructure, and management of information. Detailed reports on the management strengths and weaknesses of each state reveal dramatic differences in administrative efficiency, modernization, citizen satisfaction, and quality of services delivered. The three states receiving the highest overall grade (A−) in 2008 are Utah, Virginia, and Washington. The two states at the bottom are Rhode Island (C−) and New Hampshire (D+). Students of state politics and public management can find a wealth of information and much fodder for future research in these reports (Pew Center on the States, 2008).

There are 88,000 units of local government in the United States. Of these, 3,033 are county governments. The size and functions of counties vary dramatically from state to state. Counties employ 2 million employees nationwide and range in size from 6 square miles (Arlington County, Virginia) to 87,000 square miles (North Slope Borough, Alaska) and population from 67 residents in Loving County, Texas, to 9.5 million residents in Los Angeles County, California. In Rhode Island and Connecticut, counties exist as lines on a map but nothing else. Virginia relies on counties to deliver most educational services in the state, while New Hampshire uses county governments to deliver most public welfare services. Counties are particularly important units of government in rural areas where residents may live in areas that have not been incorporated into a city or town. For these citizens, county government is their primary contact point for all public goods and services. In keeping with the movement to reform government at the state and local levels, many states are examining their county governments with an eye to consolidation and streamlining. In California, for example, the legislature considered a proposal to consolidate the state’s 58 counties into seven regional supergovernments. The bill did not pass, but it is an indication of current thinking about the place of county governments in the United States (Bowman & Kearney, 2008).

According to the U.S. Census (2009), in 2008, there were 19,492 municipal governments in the United States, 16,519 town governments, 13,051 school districts, and 37,381 special district governments. Combined employment in this sector was 14.2 million people. Again, the primary characteristic of municipal government is diversity. The United States Constitution was silent on the question of local governments, leaving to the states to determine how citizens would be represented and services delivered in their states. Virtually all states have some version of home rule, in which cities and towns are granted some degree of autonomy over their own affairs. There is, however, a long tradition of state interference with local affairs that has been enshrined in Dillon’s rule, expounded by Iowa judge John Dillon is 1868, which states that local governments have only those powers explicitly granted to them by the state government. Although this is contrary to the Jeffersonian principle that the most desirable form of government is that which is closest to the people, it is the guiding tenet of state–local relations to this day (Bowman & Kearney, 2008).

Municipal governments can take several forms. Larger cities in the Northeast and Midwest tend to organize according to the strong mayor–council form of government, which mimics the state and federal models. Mayors are elected citywide and are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the city. City councils are typically part-time and responsible for enacting legislation, including the budget, connecting with the residents (since the council is usually elected from wards, or districts, in the city), and exercising oversight of mayoral activities. Smaller communities often use the council–manager form of government in which the town council is elected, either at large or from districts, and is very part-time with limited powers. The council appoints the town manager, or administrator, who is a professionally trained (in the best case) public manager. He or she has authority over all town departments and is responsible for the daily operation of the town.

Most local governments also have a number of special-purpose districts or authorities. These bodies are usually governed by an elected board that oversees an appointed professional executive. Education, sewers, bridges and tunnels, fire service, ports, airports, libraries, and many other service areas can be operated by these commissions. The commissions are often formed to extract the policy area from the control of the town government for reasons of efficiency or to deliver a service that involves multiple jurisdictions. These districts have been criticized in recent years for lack of transparency and accountability and redundancy of services.

The proper way to organize municipal government and deliver local services is not a settled matter. Students of political science and public administration can find many intriguing questions in this area of inquiry. The local level is the place where citizens have the most frequent and most direct contact with their government. It is also the level where political scientists have the best access for research and where those who wish to combine theory and practice can most easily do so. Much can be learned about the dynamics of elections, the operations of bureaucracy, the nature of executive power, best and worst practices in public policy from observation, and analysis of those units of government close to where we live.

Because of the extraordinary diversity in political structures, processes, and policies from state to state and municipality to municipality, comparative analysis is easy to do and bears significant fruit for the student of government.

Although there is only one national government in the United States and that receives the lion’s share of attention from political scientists and the media, there are 50 state and approximately 88,000 local units of government. The existence of these state and local governments is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and in American political culture. Their existence provides an impediment to effective national policy making and an opportunity for diversity and experimentation at the state and local levels. Their existence provides a multitude of arenas for public participation in politics and close-up observation of the processes and politics of governance. Students of political science can learn much about executive power from studying governors, much about legislative power from studying city councils, and much about grassroots activism from studying campaigns for mayor or the multitude of local policy initiatives that appear on ballots at election time. Recent commitments to transparency, the recent trends in e-government, and the physical proximity of the units of government provide ready access to the researcher. These so-called laboratories of democracy are also laboratories for the discipline.

Bibliography :

• Archibold, R. C., & Goodnough, A. (2008, November 5). California voters ban gay marriage. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/world/americas/06iht-06ballot.17571248.html
• Bowman, A., & Kearney, R. (2008). State and local government (7th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Council of State Governments: http://www.csg.org/
• Elazar, D. (1984). American federalism: A view from the states. New York: HarperCollins.
• Engel, M. (1999). State and local government. New York: Peter Lang.
• Governing: https://www.governing.com/
• National Association of Counties: https://www.naco.org/
• National Council of State Legislatures. (2009). Full and part time legislators. https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/full-and-part-time-legislatures.aspx
• National Governors Association: https://www.nga.org/
• Olshfski, D., & Cunningham, R. (2008). Agendas and decisions. Albany: SUNY Press.
• Pew Center on the States. (2008). Grading the states. h ttps://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2008/03/03/grading-the-states-2008-report
• Saffell, D. C., & Basehart, H. (2001). State and local government. Boston: McGraw Hill.
• Stateline: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline
• U.S. Census. (2009). State government employment data: March 2008. https://www2.census.gov/govs/apes/08stca.txt
• U.S. Conference of Mayors: https://www.usmayors.org/
• U.S. Constitution. (1787). Available at https://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
• Weber, R., & Brace, P. (Eds.). (1999). American state and local politics. New York: Chatham House.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 113 great research paper topics.

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One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

• Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
• Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
• How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
• How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
• How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

Current Events

• What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
• How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
• How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
• Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
• What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
• What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
• How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
• How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
• How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
• What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
• What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
• What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
• Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
• Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
• Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
• Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
• Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
• Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
• How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
• Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
• What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
• How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
• What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
• Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
• Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
• Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
• How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
• Should graduate students be able to form unions?

• What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
• How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
• Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
• How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
• How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
• Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
• Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
• Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
• Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
• Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
• Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
• Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
• Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
• Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
• How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
• How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
• What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
• What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
• Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
• What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
• What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
• Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
• Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
• Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
• What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
• How does stress affect the body?
• Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
• Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
• How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
• What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
• Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
• What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
• What were the causes of the Civil War?
• How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
• Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
• What caused Hitler's rise to power?
• Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
• What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
• How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
• What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

• Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
• Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
• How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
• How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
• What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
• What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
• How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

• How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
• How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
• Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
• Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
• How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
• How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
• What are the pros and cons of fracking?
• What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
• What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
• How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
• Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
• Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
• What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
• What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
• How are black holes created?
• Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
• How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
• Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
• How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
• Has social media made people more or less connected?
• What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
• Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
• What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
• How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
• When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
• Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

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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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Good Government Research Paper Topics

Tammy domeier.

When selecting a government topic for a research project, it is helpful to narrow your topic to a particular government area, such as education or environment, based on your background and interests. If you have a science background, you can use that understanding to your benefit by focusing on topics related to the environment. You may want to do some preliminary research before committing to a topic, to determine whether the scope of the available research will be sufficient to enable you to write a research paper with enough depth.

Explore this article

• Social Programs
• Corrections
• Environment

1 Social Programs

Programs such as welfare, child support, adoption, human trafficking and disaster assistance are some areas that the federal Administration for Children and Families oversees, with actual services provided by state and city government. Possible research topics could include the effects of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, a comparison of state child abuse laws and the need for stricter government control over labor or sex trafficking.

2 Corrections

Numerous states have passed “three strikes" laws that mandate a life sentence for offenders who commit a serious criminal offense on at least three occasions. Possible research topics could include studying government initiatives aimed at reducing prison costs, the effect on violent crime rates of states that have enacted “three strikes" laws and those that have not, and a comparison of the death row procedures of states that have enacted the death penalty.

3 Environment

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts environment assessments and research, administers national environmental laws and is responsible for air and water quality. The EPA furthers environmental justice, meaning that it promotes fair treatment of all people regardless of race, color or national origin regarding the development and enforcement of environmental laws. Research topics could include a study of the political obstacles the EPA faces in promoting environmental justice on state levels or a study of air and water quality in poor economic regions.

4 Education

The U.S. Department of Education establishes, distributes and monitors financial aid for education, conducts educational research and is charged with ensuring equal access to education for all people. Research topics could include the effects of standards-based education reform programs such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, educational benefits for veterans, the costs and benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and an assessment of current government programs supporting education for girls and women.

• 1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children and Families
• 2 Washington State Archives: Department of Corrections
• 3 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Environmental Justice
• 4 ED.gov: About Ed Overview
• 5 ED.gov: Initiatives

About the Author

Based in Minneapolis, MN, Tammy Domeier began her writing career in 1998, writing user manuals for the commercial printing and graphics industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Minnesota State University at Mankato and a paralegal certificate from Minnesota Paralegal Institute.

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American Government Research Paper Topics for College Students

When selecting a research topic in college, one must come up with a topic that is focused on one facet of the subject. The chosen topic does not state a generalization. The topic must be narrowed down and neatly fit into a specific niche.

The following lists several expert-selected American government research paper topics at the college level that reflect this. A generalized topic is given and is then followed with two or three examples of a drilled-down, narrowed topic.

American Government Research Topics in Early History

• The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 stated that Native Americans be treated with good faith. Did the American government adhere to the ordinance?
• What did the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600’s tell us about the American government’s views on freedom of religion?

American Government Research Paper Topics Regarding the Constitution

• The first amendment states that an American citizen has the freedom of speech. Is this true in relationship to current censorship?
• The second amendment states that the American people have the right to bear arms. Is this relevant today with the up rise of public shootings in schools.
• The nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote. What effect did this have on each household unit?

American Government Research Paper Topics in the 1900’s

• How did the American economy affect the working, middle-class during the first year of prohibition?
• How did World War II help the American economy in the first years that followed?
• World War II put many women to work. How did employing women during WWII affect local economies?

American Government Research Paper Topics for Current Affairs

• The department of homeland security was created as a result of 911. More than a decade later, can we say we are safer as a nation with the creation of this department?
• To many other countries, the American government is seen as being relaxed with illegal immigrants coming into the country. Should illegal immigration laws and practices be tightened?
• Poor practices of Monsanto have been exposed. Should the American government become more involved in food quality and source at the national level?

The above examples give excellent expert-selected American government topics for research papers. Now that you have reviewed these examples, you should be on your way to successfully come up with your own American government research paper topic and get my paper done . The key is to stay focused and see how far you can drill down your chosen topic.

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Homelessness and the Persistence of Deprivation: Income, Employment, and Safety Net Participation

Homelessness is arguably the most extreme hardship associated with poverty in the United States, yet people experiencing homelessness are excluded from official poverty statistics and much of the extreme poverty literature. This paper provides the most detailed and accurate portrait to date of the level and persistence of material disadvantage faced by this population, including the first national estimates of income, employment, and safety net participation based on administrative data. Starting from the first large and nationally representative sample of adults recorded as sheltered and unsheltered homeless taken from the 2010 Census, we link restricted-use longitudinal tax records and administrative data on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare, Medicaid, Disability Insurance (DI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), veterans’ benefits, housing assistance, and mortality. Nearly half of these adults had formal employment in the year they were observed as homeless, and nearly all either worked or were reached by at least one safety net program. Nevertheless, their incomes remained low for the decade surrounding an observed period of homelessness, suggesting that homelessness tends to arise in the context of long-term, severe deprivation rather than large and sudden losses of income. People appear to experience homelessness because they are very poor despite being connected to the labor market and safety net, with low permanent incomes leaving them vulnerable to the loss of housing when met with even modest disruptions to life circumstances.

More Research From These Scholars

Errors in reporting and imputation of government benefits and their implications, what leads to measurement errors evidence from reports of program participation in three surveys, certification and recertification in welfare programs: what happens when automation goes wrong.

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A Collection Of Good Government Term Paper Topics To Explore

All high school students study civics. This is a class that describes the structure of the government and the way it works. Civics teachers often ask students to write term papers on some topic related to the government. Although there are many questions that you may try to answer in your work, it’s difficult for most students to come up with good topic ideas for their papers. This article contains a list of interesting suggestions.

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• A successful election program.

Investigate in your work what techniques you should use to make more people vote for you during elections. Give real-life examples.

Should we rely on polling when it comes to presidential or any other elections? Are there any pitfalls?

• Comparison of political parties.

Take the two main political parties of the United States and compare them to each other. What are their differences and similarities?

• Voting for third parties.

Sometimes people vote for parties even when they know that they won’t win. What drives voters to behave like this?

• The sources of money for political campaigns.

Describe in your term paper what sources usually donate their money for particular political campaigns. What benefit do they get from this?

• The media and the government.

Many people call media the fourth branch of the government. Explain this statement in your work. How can the government control people through media?

• Campaigns of different candidates.

The political campaigns of candidates from the Senate and the House of Representatives have plenty of differences. Make your analysis and present your findings on this matter.

• Term limits and Congress.

Some specialists say that the members of Congress should have term limits. Do your research and raise your arguments for or against this statement.

• Congress and voters.

During their political campaigns, candidates make lots of promises to their voters that they don’t fulfill when they become members of Congress. Should something be done about this?

• Different ways to use power.

Do your research and present your results on how different presidents have used their executive privilege throughout the history of the United States.

• Branches of government.

There are three branches of the U.S. government: legislative, executive, and judicial. Discuss in your paper which branch is the most powerful.

• The important rights.

The first amendment to the Constitution guarantees several rights. Do your research and discuss which of these rights are the most important.

You may use any of these topics to write your own paper on American government.

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Sixteen Strong Research Paper Topics About The US Government

Every student should learn about their country and its government. For this reason, civics teachers often ask students to write research papers about American government. However, to get a high score for your work, you should make your topic interesting. Here are the best custom research papers for sale and a list of good topics that you may use for your paper on American government.

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• 1. Comparison and analysis of direct and representative democracy.
• 2. The changes or modifications in the US Constitution you’d like to make.
• 3. The power of individual states in comparison to the power of the federal government.
• 4. Programs that will make more people vote during elections.
• 5. Comparison and analysis of the two main parties in the US government.
• 6. Reasons to vote for a candidate who probably won’t win the election.
• 7. Main sources that give money for political campaigns and their reasons for doing this.
• 8. Media is the fourth branch of the US government: true or false?
• 9. Comparison and analysis of Senate and House of Representatives candidate campaigns.
• 10. Members of Congress should follow the will of the voters who elected them.
• 11. The use of executive privilege by different presidents throughout the history of the USA.
• 12. The most powerful branch of the US government.
• 13. The most important rights that are guaranteed by the first amendment.
• 14. The reason that the Equal Rights Amendment failed.
• 15. The amount of power that belongs to the federal government: is it too much?
• 16. The reasons not to rely on polling during presidential elections.

These are decent topics for a research paper on the American government. However, a good topic isn’t enough to write a paper of high quality. Here are some tips that will help you compose a great paper:

When your topic is chosen, you should investigate it very carefully. It’s important to know the various nuances of a topic if you want to raise proper arguments and find good support for them.

You should keep in mind that not all of your readers know your topic as well as you do. Make sure to explain obscure terms and avoid using uncommon abbreviations. This will make your paper more reader-friendly.

You shouldn’t be lazy when proofreading your paper if you want to get an excellent grade. Eliminate all grammar and spelling mistakes. Rewrite sentences, and even paragraphs, that don’t relate to your thesis statement.

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6 facts about Americans’ views of government spending and the deficit

As President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans continue to negotiate on raising the U.S. debt ceiling , the public has nuanced views on related issues such as the preferred size of government, the amount of government assistance to the poor, and the priority of reducing the budget deficit. Here are six facts about Americans’ views of the government, spending and the deficit based on Pew Research Center surveys from this year.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to provide insight into the public’s views about the size of government and aspects of government spending and revenue as President Joe Biden and Congress continue negotiations around the debt ceiling. For this analysis, we included data from two surveys in 2023: one with 5,152 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 18-24 and the second with 5,079 U.S. adults conducted March 27-April 2.

Everyone who took part in these surveys is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here is the question from the Jan. 18-24 survey used in this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology . Here are materials for the questions on taxes and government size and role from the March 27-April 2 survey, along with its methodology .

The public remains split on what the government’s size should be. About half of Americans (49%) say they would rather have a bigger government providing more services, while a similar share (48%) would prefer a smaller government providing fewer services, according to a Center survey conducted March 27-April 2. These views have remained relatively stable since 2019. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are more than three times as likely as Republicans and Republican leaners to say they would prefer a bigger government (75% vs. 22%).

The public is also divided on the role of government. While 52% say government should be doing more to solve problems, 46% say government is doing too many things that would be better left to businesses and individuals. These attitudes are also deeply divided along partisan lines: While about three-quarters of Democrats (77%) say the government should do more to solve problems, a similar share of Republicans (75%) say the government is doing too many things.

Americans are more likely to want to increase than reduce the size of the U.S. military. About four-in-ten Americans (43%) say that the size of the U.S. military should be increased, compared with 17% who say it should be reduced; 38% say it should be kept about as is. The share of the public saying the military should expand has risen 6 percentage points since July 2021. Currently, military spending makes up about 12% of the overall federal budget but nearly half of so-called discretionary spending, which excludes entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Republicans are far more likely than Democrats (62% vs. 27%) to favor increasing the size of the military. There also are age differences: Older adults are more supportive than younger adults when it comes to expanding the size of the military.

More Americans also favor increasing, rather than reducing, government aid to the poor. While 43% favor increasing aid to the poor, 26% say the government should provide less assistance, and 30% say the current level of aid is about right. Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say the government should provide more assistance to those in need, but Republicans’ views vary by age and income. Younger and lower-income Republicans are more likely than older and higher-income Republicans to say that the government should provide more assistance to those in need.

Majorities favor raising taxes on large companies and high earners. About two-thirds of Americans (65%) say that tax rates on large businesses and corporations should be raised. A somewhat similar share (61%) support raising tax rates on household incomes over $400,000. On both questions, Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say that tax rates should be increased.

Reducing the budget deficit is a higher priority for the public than it was last year. The share of the public saying that reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority for the president and Congress this year has increased by 12 points since 2022, according to a January 2023 Center survey . Today, 57% say that reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority, compared with 45% in 2022. Both Republicans and Democrats are more likely now than in 2022 to say this should be a top priority, but Republicans are still much more likely to prioritize this than Democrats are (71% vs. 44%).

Note: Here is the question from the Jan. 18-24 survey used in this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology . Here are materials for the questions on taxes and government size and role from the March 27-April 2 survey, along with its methodology .

• Government Spending & the Deficit
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Congress has long struggled to pass spending bills on time

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