History Essay Topics — Best for 2018-2019

While finding a good topic for your high school or a college history essay can be quite challenging with a myriad of dates, personalities, and ideas roaming through your mind, there are some Geeky tips and tricks that we would like to share with you in a bit! Yet, before we reveal all the good history essay secrets, we want to offer the best history essay topics ranging from the modern history and world history assignments to the US history topics that are relevant for any period of time. Even a quick glance through our list of the most interesting history topics will help you receive a good starting point and continue with your own ideas that you already have in mind!
Contents (Clickable)
Top 10 History Essay Topics For College Students
We know that you would rather write about a history of a smartphone or your favorite movie that is already a history for some, yet your instructor would like to write something more significant in terms of historical role! Let us start with a something that clearly goes back to history and relates to our times just as much as it did back then!
- The Space Race Through the Lens of the Cold War. This is a very interesting topic that you can explore and analyze. A good idea is to link it to the current space program in the United States and explain how historical events and the past Cold War beliefs have shaped the current attitude and precautions.
- A Voice of Protest and Justice: American Worker Unions. Now, this topic clearly relates to the modern challenges and can serve as an important call for attention towards inequality and unfair attitude to the working class in our society.
- Revolution Without Arms: The Carnation Revolution. Living in times of the endless military conflicts, it is important to write of a revolution that took place on 25 April 1974 in Lisbon, Portugal. It speaks of a time when a situation that was initially seen as a military coup has turned to a peaceful revolution. As almost no shots were fired, people occupied the streets to celebrate the end of a ruthless and cruel dictatorship and the endless war that took place in the colonies. Study and compare it with our times and the conflicts you have heard about!
- The Copper Country Strike of 1913-1914. A sad event in not so distant American history related to a major strike where all the copper mines in the Copper Country of Michigan have participated. The goals of the miners were closely related to the problems that we still face today like shorter work days, higher wages, and recognition of the miners union. Even though the strike has ended with a disaster, it is considered as a major turning point in the history of the protest movements in the United States. See and explore why!
- Operation Paperclip. Not widely discussed, this topic still requires attention and becomes even more relevant in our times. The talk goes of a special secret program that was carried by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency that involved more than 1600 German scientists recruited after the end of World War II for employment in the US government. A point of attention is that a lot of the scientists were former members and even the former leaders of the Nazi Party. Explore and explain your thoughts!
- Fashion Changes in American Society in the 20th Century. For a little change from the complex topics, you can always challenge yourself with the changes that took place in the world of fashion. It is still a history to write about! An interesting hook you can use is to write of how a particular style of clothes has affected political life, status, and recognition in the society.
- The Racial War: The African American Soldiers in the World War II. Study and explore the racial conflict and the challenges of the African American soldiers, their amount, and the role. Compare this topic with the modern conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq in terms of an increasing number of African American soldiers.
- The Voice of the Revolution: History of Protest Music in the United States. If you are creative and artistic, choose this topic as a way to show your knowledge of historical protest songs. You can even write of personalities like Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Barry McGuire to show how even one line of a song can make history.
- Anti-fascist Movements in the United States Before World War II. The best way to find one of the world history essay topics is to explore the changes in the social and political movements that took place before an important, big event took place!
- History of Propaganda in the Media that Shaped Modern US History. Explore the way how the powerful tool of propaganda in the newspaper, films, and the art have shaped the history and a set of attitudes in modern American society.
Top 5 History Essay Topics For High School Students
Okay, now let us explore some topics for the high school students struggling with their history homework assignments! Unlike college, there is more teacher guidance, yet it can make choice of a history essay topic even more complex. As an example, while you may wish to write about Martin Luther King’s speech, your task is to try and make it unique and have the right essay prompt! Here are some history essay topics for high school students for you:
- The role of the British Music Invasion in the Counterculture of the United States. From The Beatles to the Stones, as they say! You can write a powerful history essay and tell about how music from the United Kingdom acted as a counterculture historical power on both sides of the Atlantic, as the music has arrived in the United States. You can ask your parents, grandparents or friends who like music to help you come up with a great and creative essay!
- The Age of Piracy. Now we are not really talking of Pirates of the Caribbean and Johnny Depp’s role in history! The talk is more about the Internet and digital piracy. This topic is often made look heroic and the digital pirates are often portrayed as heroes. From music and films to audio books and computer games, try to think of how piracy has influenced modern history and modern sales compared to how it has been in the past. Explore, write of the different opinions and speak of your own thoughts!
- A War That Cannot Be Won: Ronald Reagan’s Policy and the Nuclear Race. Explore the fear in the society, competition, anxiety, and the events that have nearly placed the world on the scaffold. Living in 2018, try to see how a present day school student can learn from this turbulent historical era!
- The History of Slavery in the United States. Choosing this topic, you can speak from your own point of view and explore this important historical essay topic. You can choose either to write off the North and the South slavery differences in the United States or write a comparison of how different areas of the country have turned to particular methods of slavery abolition.
- The History of Physics. Here you can explore and write about the history of Physics by using the timeline of important discoveries, events, and personalities. This way you will not only write a great and fascinating essay but will please your teacher with a good knowledge of important dates and the use of chronology.
Just in case you want to focus on US History as you write your original history essay or simply want to get new ideas, check out an actual US History essay example paper.
Learn MoreBest 5 World History Essay Topics
Now let us look for some world history essay topics to get you started:
- The Economical Situation in Europe after World War I. It is a great history essay topic that you can explore to write about the causes and effects of the upcoming World War II. You can state that the majority of the world conflicts start because of the turbulent economical situation and the differences between the poor and the wealthy. Starting with the post World War I period, you can explore from there.
- The History of Renaissance Humanism and Education. One of the most interesting and challenging history essay topics to write about! Here is what you can do: write about how the history of Renaissance Humanism movement has changed the way how people managed the freedom of thought and education. Think about how and why the education and knowledge have moved from the Church to the masses. In order to support your history essay and make it vivid, use the works of art, sculptures, and the quotes of the famous humanist scholars.
- The Role of Personality in the Cold War between the United States and the USSR. While it is a well-known history essay topic for college to write about, you can take a little bit different approach and write about the role of a personality in the Cold War, focusing on 1950’s. Even though the conflict is clear in its complexity, write about what key figures have made the difference and fought for a peaceful resolution both in the United States and the USSR.
- The History and Progress Among the First Nations People of Canada. It is one of the most interesting topics to write about as you explore the history of the First Nations People in Canada and study their progress and changes in society. Your hook can be an “importance of integration and comparison with both successful and failed attempts at integration of minorities into the mass society”.
- A Cultural Response to Historical Events: 1960s and the Hippie Culture. Without a doubt, the 1960s represent a very difficult historical era with the events that require attention and an immediate response. Some people, however, chose a quite peculiar method to protest or adapt to what we now know as history. The Hippie Culture, anti-war movements, and the peace fighters represent an interesting movement that became a reflection of the era and people’s striving for changes. Explore this topic and even try to compare 1960’s hippies and the children of the flowers to the modern cultural and protest movements!
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Before You Choose a History Essay Topic: Geeky Tips!
Here are some Geeky tips that you should follow when choosing your topic and preparing to write a history essay:
- Choose several topics first and brainstorm them all to see what fits you best!
- Start with several prompts before you start writing and always read them aloud!
- If possible, discuss the topic with your instructor to make sure that it meets the requirements!
- In order to interest your reader with a hook, try to connect historical event or an issue with the modern times and challenges that you all can relate to!
- Write an outline for your essay and make a list of topics that will appear in each paragraph!
- Use the timelines and key dates to support your claims to remind your audience about the historical era!
- Mind your structure and try to stick with “introduction – 3 body paragraphs – conclusion” essay structure.
- Always proofread your work first!
- If it is allowed by your instructor, use graphics and make your history essay a bit like a museum!
- Use trustworthy sources and always consult your instructor if you are not sure.
Just follow these rules, choose one of the history essay topics above, brainstorm your own ideas and… the rest is history!!!

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