Writing Prompts from History for Teens

Take your writing – and knowledge of history – a step further with these writing prompts from history.

1. You are present in Cannes, France, on March 1, 1815, when Napoleon Bonaparte lands and begins a march to Paris. Describe the moment and how you feel about his return.
2. Your family is living in Ireland in the 1840s and has lost everything due to the potato famine. They now must decide between staying in their homeland or leaving for another country. What do you want to do? Do your parents agree or disagree? Share the discussion that takes place.
3. You are part of Robert O’Hara Burke’s expedition to cross Australia from the south to the north. You depart Melbourne on August 20, 1860, on a journey that will last approximately 6 months. Record a journal entry sharing the events of one day of your trip.
4. It is 1863, and the Emancipation Proclamation has just been read. Where are you living? How do you react to the news?
5. Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867. You have the chance to spend a day with her at any point in her life (she passed away in 1957). Choose a point in her life and write about the day you spend with her.

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