Name:

Professor:

Course:

Date:

Argument Outline

Introduction

Introduction method: Start with a question questioning the current status quo on the Minimum Legal Drinking Age to grab the audience’s attention.

Does the widely-believed perception that the minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one really hold true? Does it save lives by reducing traffic fatalities and accidents among underage drivers?

Thesis statement containing the three topics that will be developed.

The MLDA 21 should, therefore, be reduced to 18, to avoid infringing on the rights of people aged eighteen to twenty, to reduce the thrill of alcohol and curb risky behavior associated with drinking in unregulated areas.

Body Paragraph 1

Topic sentence for main point 1

The MLDA 21 infringes on the rights of over 18s to make their own decisions.

Supporting details

In the US the age of adulthood is eighteen and hence they should be given the right to make their own decisions on alcohol consumption.

Concluding sentence

Public discussions and debate should he held to lower the drinking age to avoid infringing on people’s rights.

Body Paragraph 2

Topic sentence for main point 2

The MLDA 21 only heightens the thrill of alcohol and breaking the law and should, therefore, be reduced to eighteen years

Supporting details

According to an article by Forbes, Mark Kleiman, a UCLA professor of Public Policy stated that the current age restrictions “make drinking a badge of adulthood and therefore build in the minds of young adults, a romantic sense of the transgressive danger of alcohol. This hence results in the abuse of alcohol.”

A concluding sentence

This proves that lowering the age limit to 18 will lessen the connotative lure of alcohol.

Body Paragraph 3

Topic sentence for main point 3

The MLDA 21 lures young adults into drinking in unregulated environments.

Supporting details

According to a journal article published by the NCBI, recent trends have proved that young adults mainly partake in alcohol consumption without any regulation or surveillance. This results in worse outcomes than if they had their drinks in unlicensed establishments.

A concluding sentence

Therefore, the MLDA 21 should be reduced to eighteen years to avoid the lure of drinking in unregulated environments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, many Americans perceive the MLDA 21 to be effective but in reality, it is not. The nation, especially, in American college campuses, is characterized by a unanimous drinking culture that involves dangerous, determinative, and heavy drinking.

Conclusion method: Answer the question asked in the beginning.

The current decline in traffic fatalities is not due to the MLDA 21 but due to factors such as improvement in motor vehicle safety and more stringent traffic rules.