The Key to Coming up with Fresh History Topics for College Essays

With thousands of years of written history to choose from, selecting a topic should be easy. For many students, finding a good thesis can seem impossible. To get started on writing a history paper, students must narrow down the subject to a specific topic. Afterward, they can write the paper like they normally would.

Choosing a Topic

Often, teachers will select a particular subject area for students to write about. If this is not done, students may need to choose a topic on their own. Students can read through history books, search the web or brainstorm to come up with topic ideas. To get the ball rolling, here are a few history topics that work for college essays.

Fresh History Topics

  • What was the cause of the Opium Wars in China? How did Britain contribute to the conflict?
  • How has Puritanism influenced the United States over the last 300 years?
  • Why did the United States have such a difficult time winning the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War?
  • What were some of the contributing factors to the Arab Spring?
  • Why are Palestine and Israel continuously at odds with each other?
  • Was it possible for the United States to remain neutral in World War I?
  • When a country is colonized, the early settlers are typically male. How did colonial powers each address the gender imbalance?
  • What were the causes of the Civil War?
  • Why was there a Muslim conquest of India? How was it carried out?
  • What were the factors that shaped the conservative movement of the 1960s?
  • Why did Second Wave feminism take place? How did societal norms at the time contribute to its development?
  • Over the years, the United States has alternated between interventionist and isolationist roles in global relations. What caused these changes in foreign policy?
  • What are the lasting impacts of the spread of Islam in the Middle East?
  • What caused the Black Plague during the Middle Ages? How did the plague shape society for the coming years?
  • How has Margaret Thatcher shaped Britain's foreign policy?
  • What was Grigoriy Rsputin's role in bringing about Russia's revolution?
  • Using the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers, write about the mindset of the Founding Fathers as they wrote the Constitution.
  • How did the French Revolution influence democracy in Great Britain?
  • Why was Margaret Sanger imprisoned for creating a birth control clinic in 1917?
  • How did Typhoid Mary's imprisonment shape public health policy?