Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 320
•
Trim: 6 x 9¼
978-0-7425-6233-2 • Paperback • February 2008 • $50.00 • (£38.00)
Patrick W. Carey is professor of theology at Marquette University. He is former president of the American Catholic Historical Society and lives in Newton, Wisconsin.
Chapter 1 Colonial Catholicism: 1492-1840
Chapter 2 A Free Church in a Free State: 1776-1815
Chapter 3 Internal Conflicts, Nativism, and Immigrant Catholicism: 1815-1866
Chapter 4 Reconstruction and Expansion: 1866-1884
Chapter 5 Americanism: 1884-1899
Chapter 6 Catholicism in the Progressive Era: 1900-1920
Chapter 7 The Roaring Twenties, the Depression, and World War II: 1920-1945
Chapter 8 Catholicism in the Cold War: 1945-1965
Chapter 9 Post-Vatican II Catholicism: 1965-1990
Chapter 10 Troubled Times: 1990-2003
Chapter 11 From John Paul II to Benedict XVI: 2003-2007
Carey writes with clarity and grace, deftly guiding readers through the intricacies of American Catholic history. Especially impressive is the way the author balances hierarchical and clerical perspectives with those of the laity and external observers of the Catholic scene. Carey integrates an amazing amount of detail into this concise, carefully structured history, making the controversies and historical protagonists come alive, whether the focus is on the Colonial era, Americanism in the 1890s, Cold War Catholicism, or the escalation of the crisis over sexual abuse by clergy at the turn of the 21st century. Highly recommended.
— Choice Reviews
Carey presents a dutiful, accessible, and even-handed descriptive account of the major historical developments and events in American Catholicism from a brief review of Colonial Catholicism to current 'troubled times.'
— Conscience
Excellent coverage of the postconciliar period.... Balanced.... First-rate quality.... Clearly articulated.... The overall excellence of C.'s book amply demonstrates that history written in the traditional way still has the power to deepen our collective self-understanding.
— Philip Gleason, University of Notre Dame; Theological Studies, June 2009
This history, in the hands of willing students and a lively, informed teacher, or on a library shelf, will help create an informed and engaged body of American Catholics for the coming decades. The rest of us, Catholic adults responsible for our present and immediate future, will do well to read it-reflectively.
— American Catholic Studies, Fall 2009
Patrick Carey’s Catholics in America displays a rare combination of qualities: it is both encyclopedic and easily digestible…Carey’s vast knowledge and his ability to bring a scattered array of details into a coherent narrative will impress any reader. This book is recommended for anyone seeking a richly detailed but crisp study of American Catholicism.
— The Catholic Historical Review, December 2009
In this crisply written volume, Patrick Carey combines a detailed narrative of American Catholic history with brief biographies of leaders ranging from Charles Carroll to Joseph Bernardin.
— Catholic Library World
- Includes a Biographical Dictionary of Catholic leaders and an updated chronology of key events
- Highlights the changes in American Catholic religious thought, particularly since the late eighteenth century
- Focuses on American Catholic responses to significant issues in American life including slavery, racism, industrialization, birth control, abortion, and other cultural wars of the twentieth century