Freedom of Speech

• Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932.Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Freedom of speech does not protect a person who is "falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic," the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said. Write a persuasive essay on how best to balance freedom of speech and the responsibility not to abuse it. You might focus, for example, on whether or how to regulate speech on the Internet. Examine, for instance, whether people have the same free-speech rights if they exercise them under a cloak of anonymity.
  
  

Energy Policy

• The viability of nuclear power as a long-term energy solution is one possible topic for a persuasive essay.Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Climate change is another source of topics for persuasive essays. For instance, examine the cost-benefit factors that determine whether alternatives to fossil-fuel energy sources can be economically viable. Argue for or against a tax to finance research and development of alternative energy sources. Or, focus your essay on the risks vs. benefits of nuclear power as a potential long-term energy solution.
  
  

Education Issues

• Writing a persuasive essay can be an engaging project for high school students.Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images
  
  Take a position on any of the many issues confronting modern education. Do elementary school students learn better through rote memorization or creative engagement? Should teachers be paid based on merit, and if so, how and by whom should their merits be judged? What legal rights do students have while in school? Should education policy be set at the local, state or federal level? Remember, the more strongly you support your arguments, the more persuasive your essay will be.
  
  

Marriage Laws

• Should marriage be limited to the traditional form or equally available to all?Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
  
  Should laws define marriage in the traditional way or extend marital rights to gay couples? Discuss, for example, how to balance individual rights with the social benefits often cited by supporters of the traditional family unit. Another focal point might be whether marital rights should be state or federal matters. Or, tackle the issue of whether laws to permit gay marriage may open the way to other marital variations such as polygamy.
  
  

Health Care

• The frustrations of the health care system are a controversial subject, and therefore a good one for a persuasive essay.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Should health insurance be private or public? If public, should it be a single-payer system? Is there a right to health care, if such a right implies an obligation on someone else to provide it? Is the U.S. health care system better or worse than those of other countries? Why or why not? Choose a specific topic, take a position and support your position.
  
  

Criminal Justice

• Capital punishment has long been a controversial topic worthy of a persuasive essay.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Many states try juveniles as adults in certain criminal cases. Is this a fair and effective way to administer juvenile justice? Another essay might take a stand for or against capital punishment. Is it moral? Is it effective? Other possible criminal justice topics: Does proactive community outreach by police departments, known as "community policing," work? Do mandatory sentences serve the cause of justice? Use data to support the positions you take.