Historian | Author | Research Writer Covering history, culture, public affairs, and modern issues through historical analysis.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Declaration of Independence (1776)

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (1933)

"Read my lips: No new taxes.”

George H.W. Bush, RNC (1988)

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Featured Articles

Explore a featured selection of my writing work below.

Has American Education Been Watered Down?

When I investigate societal breaks, I investigate morals, ethics, and presumptions. I also investigate cultural varieties and similarities through behavioral and customary tendencies. With that all being said, I am aware of a break in traditional (what was once known as normal) academic thinking at the break of the 20th century. This thinking spilled over into political discourse. Of course, this started well before that. I wrote about it in an article recently where I mentioned that there was a...

Did Settlers Commit Genocide in America?

It was certainly polarization issues that made the 19th century a true “wild west," and I really find "wild west" fits in every sense of the phrase.​The American Settler’s from the east came over the Rocky Mountains with both broken dreams and real optimism for a new successful life. Each miner, settler, businessman (or woman), and government employee had their own personal reasons for leading a new life in California. The financial burden of the 1837 financial collapse was a national hardship,...

The Tower of Babel & The Hadron Collider: Civilization’s Final Attempt To Play God?

When we consider lessons being taught and learned throughout our lives, we don’t necessarily think of these lessons starting at the very beginning of time. These lessons include the ethical and moral principles in which Christianity itself is based upon. Even further though, we never pull back far enough to see how lessons affect society and humankind as a whole unit. From the beginning mankind has chosen to take the path, seemingly today more frequently traveled, in poor decision making for ach...

From American Reconstruction to the McDonaldization of Society

Rationality and logic were broken well before the 2000s and even before the 1960s. In fact, it was during the Reconstruction-era after the American Civil War that things fell apart quickly. Specifically, between 1863 and 1877. This was the catalyst for how American society would form as we see it today. During the Reconstruction-era, historical process was coming into play, such as the country adjusting the deconstruction of institutional slavery, as well as the security of our country’s unity a...

How Ulysses S. Grant Saved Native Peoples in 1850s California

Arthur Wigmore was a settler to northern California from Missouri. He lived near Lower Rancheria on the Eel River. Settlers from back east, such as Mr. Wigmore, would come to farm the land among other choice career opportunities. In September of 1854, he was murdered and thrown into a local marsh. After an investigation by officials and locals, it was made clear that a native known by the locals as “Billy” was the one who had killed him.As soon as word of “Billy’s” accusation reached the local n...

Slavery: America’s National Sin

The US Congress in 1787 and 1789 would pass the Northwest Ordinance, which outlawed slavery in any newly created state of the Union. The federal government would also ban the export of slaves from any state within the Union in 1794. Intentions show that in this generation, the eventual abolishment of slavery was their main intention.The intention was to show the world how a Christian nation would attempt to deal with such a heavy-laden problem. Britain finally outlawed slavery in 1834, and this...

How Modern Capitalism is Similar to the 17th Century Economy

In light of our modern Renaissance, we as human beings in our own moral and ethical weaknesses have forgotten as people, that history canrepeat itself. With the invention of the television, computer, cell phone, Internet, and social media… Americans have become comfortable—complacent—and have forgotten about their own vulnerabilities in society. Most of the aforementioned gadgets were all invented within the last 30 years![1]In the last 100 years, government and wealthy private entities have slo...

Spanish Colonial Influence on Native Americans in Northern California

Not So Positive of Encounters. Northern California is a scene of majestic redwood forests, beautiful rocky coastlines, and lush inner-landscapes that can only be imagined today. The land known to us today as Humboldt County, for example, had been home to indigenous peoples for some time prior to the arrival of Europeans.[1]In pristine Humboldt, over a dozen tribes made up the encompassed swath of land from Klamath to the Eel River on the coast, which ranged inland to include Weaverville and Shasta...

How American Colonial Law Justified the Settlement of Native American Territories

The idea of independent sovereignty with full “property rights” observed is a Western concept that Native Americans adopted. The Cherokee Constitution, for example, was a purposeful effort by the Cherokee to adopt Western ideals, as through their observations they felt a sense order, structure, justice, and liberty. Hence, they moved to partition the Cherokee Nation from tribal culture, and establish a more formal and legal presence within North America. In Article 2, section 1, “The power of th...

Medieval Jesters – And their Parallels in Modern America

The Jester was common in the times of castles, villages, chain-mail, and treachery. In Medieval Europe, the elites and nobility would hire jesters in which the aristocratic family would regard them as “mascots”. These characters were well-educated individuals who came from a variety of diverse upbringings. Jesters are known for their crazy styles and abstract apparel.[1] All of this for the attention of the court of course, and sometime the humility. These people were hired to amuse the lord and...

California in the American Civil War

California and StatehoodIt was prior to 1850 that the true nature of the Wild West existed in California, this pristine region of the country. Ideology was split, and even within the split, there was further fracturing due to cultural differences as well as consistent fighting for property rights. The discovery of gold exacerbated the issue of regional turmoil as California was pulled into the US Civil War. This is just the tip of the iceberg on how California existed during this era. Many, or a...

9 Cutest Small Towns In Alaska For 2026

Alaska's communities stand out for places like Skagway's Gold Rush boardwalks. Seward sits along a coast lined by tidewater ice. Talkeetna offers mountain panoramas near Denali. In 2026, these towns continue to draw travelers seeking a mix of wilderness and frontier character that feels distinctly different from larger destinations. Whether it is glacier views or wildlife encounters, each place brings its own personality in every season. Check out the cutest towns in Alaska for 2026 below.

Expe...

10 Most Hospitable Towns In Washington

Leavenworth runs Bavarian theater and restaurants on a calendar that fills the year. Bainbridge Island holds a First Fridays art walk every month. Snohomish has earned the nickname Antique Capital of the Northwest. Port Angeles sits 18 miles by ferry from Victoria, BC, and acts like the gateway to Olympic National Park. Ten Washington small towns where the welcome is a real one and the calendar gives visitors something to come back for.

A Bavarian village in the heart of Washington State sounds...

The Most Acidic Lakes in North America

North America contains millions of lakes, but only a few are known for dangerously low pH levels. Some turn acidic naturally through volcanic events or peat bog chemistry. Others become acidic from industrial runoff and pollution. A handful were intentionally acidified by researchers running long-term experiments. If you want to take a dip, these lakes are off the list. Here are five revealing examples.

In northwestern Chiapas, Mexico, the crater of El Chichón Volcano holds one of the most chem...

What Happened To Syria After Assad

On the morning of December 8, 2024, opposition fighters walked into Damascus and found the presidential palace empty. Bashar al-Assad had taken off on an unmarked flight to Russia in the middle of the night, ending more than five decades of Assad family rule in a single weekend. The offensive that toppled him had begun only twelve days earlier, on November 27, when a coalition led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a probing attack at the front line between opposition-held Idlib and the nei...

6 Must-See Historic Forts In Oregon

Long before Oregon became a state, military outposts and trading forts marked the slow westward push into the Pacific Northwest. Some of those sites still stand today as parks and museums. The Lewis and Clark Expedition built Fort Clatsop and overwintered there in 1805-1806. John Jacob Astor founded Fort Astoria in 1811 as the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific Coast. Decades later Fort Stevens earned the strange distinction of being the only military installation in the continental...

My Services

Daniel L. Smith is a historian, journalist, and research writer specializing in American history, current events, public affairs, cultural and historical analysis. He provides private and historical research, investigative writing, feature journalism, and educational content development for publications, organizations, and private clients of all entities.

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