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10 Exciting Essay Topics On American Revolution

The American Revolution, or the Revolutionary War, was an exciting time in American history; that doesn’t mean it’s an exciting thing to write an essay about! If you need to write an essay on the American Revolution, you’re going to want to make it interesting for both yourself and your reader. You want it to be interesting to you because you’ll be the one writing it, and if you’re bored while researching and writing your paper, you can bet it’s going to show! You want it to be exciting for your teacher, as well, so that you stand out and don’t get lost in the stack of papers he has to grade.

So what makes for an exciting essay topic? You should avoid cliché papers like “what caused the Revolutionary War” and “how did the Declaration of Independence get written”: instead, dig a little deeper. Think about what really caused certain events in the build-up to the revolution. Imagine yourself as an early American and think about what would make you want to go to war. What was life like back then? How did America, with very few resources, overcome the empire that was Great Britain? Here are 10 exciting essay ideas to get you started writing your very own A-grade paper!

  1. What was the immediate British reaction to the Boston Tea Party? How did Britain’s reaction act as a catalyst to the American Revolution?
  2. Discuss the importance of French assistance to American troops. Why were the French interested in supporting America in its fight for independence?
  3. What was the role of Native Americans in the Revolutionary War? Discuss how the Revolutionary War changed life for Native Americans.
  4. What was “virtual representation”, and how did it affect the perception of Britain by Americans living in the colonies?
  5. How did the American troops survive the winter at Valley Forge? What was life like for a soldier during that time?
  6. In what ways did “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine inspire the Declaration of Independence, if at all?
  7. Analyze the difference between the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress. Which was more influential?
  8. Describe the role of Samuel Adams in the Revolutionary War.
  9. How did the French and Indian War precipitate or help inspire the Revolutionary War?
  10. What countries in Europe, if any, sided with Britain? With the United States (besides France)?