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Puritan's Empire
History is the key to understanding men-whether as nations, families, or individuals. For Catholics, history has an even higher purpose beside. For them, history is the unfolding of God's Will in time, and the attempts of men either to conform themselves to or to resist that Will. But American Catholic historians have generally refrained from exploring their own national history with these principles, preferring instead to adopt the analysis of their non-Catholic colleagues, save when looking at purely Catholic topics (and sometimes not then). It is vital then, for Catholics, especially young Catholics, to have a good and proper understanding of their country's history. To exercise their patriotism, they must work for the conversion of the United States; to do this effectively, they must understand the forces and events which brought forth not only the religion of Americanism and the country itself, but also the sort of Catholicism which, in 300 years, failed so dismally to bring this conversion about. This book attempts to reinterpret the better known episodes of our history in accordance with the Faith, and to point up lesser-known details which will give factual proof of the truth of this reinterpretation.
624 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
53 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
About the author
Charles A. Coulombe
24 books78 followersRoy-Charles A. Coulombe is an American Catholic author, historian, and lecturer. Coulombe is known for his advocacy of monarchism.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 26, 2019
Puritan’s Empire by Charles Coloumbe (Tumblar House Publishing) is a bit intimidating. Not only does it clock around 500 pages, but it promises within those pages to tell a story of quite the scope: the entire history of the United States, from a Catholic perspective. I believe this book accomplishes this goal, and then some. It is truly a must-read for any Catholic who wishes to find firm footing in our confusing day, especially for those who are actively working for a better future.
Now, starting off, I must confess I’m actually a Canadian, and also that I am far less educated on history than I would like to be. There were parts of this book I didn’t understand very well that I would like to re-visit on a second read through, with Google opened up and ready to go. There were names mentioned which I promptly forgot, causing confusion when they were brought up again. There were sections I found less interesting than others that I had to plod through. I don’t consider these to be criticisms of the book itself, rather, they are criticisms of the reader. This book taught me how much I did not know about the political and cultural currents which today shape my life, and it strengthened my conviction to learn these things so that I may pass them on to my children. Though the (oft-evil) history of American education is a minor part of this book, it may be one of the best touchstones for those warily eyeing the sheer bulk of pages.
I was homeschooled, and had a very good education on history compared to many of my peers at the time - let alone those poor children and teens of today. Still, in reading this book, I felt my deficiencies! The educational rot runs deep, indeed, but I believe this book’s foremost thesis is especially apt in regard to education: there is no way forward for America without the Catholic Church, likewise (and the main focus of the book as a whole), there is no clear vision of history without her. Try as my parents may, they were missing an essential element of my education - just as American (and I would argue, Canadian) society is missing its very soul.
If you can accept that you may not understand everything that this book talks about (or better yet, you are well-read enough to avoid such worries!), you will benefit greatly by reading it. Do you understand every bit about the American national ideology (which is often one and the same as the Americanist heresy, unfortunately) that you are mired in? Of course not. You were moulded into it, fed bits and pieces at a time, by various books and media which impacted you deeply, especially in childhood. Education is more than names and places, events and dates. It’s intuitive, too. It’s the glasses through which you see the world, adding lens onto lens, the picture becoming more clear as you go.
I believe that this book is the definitive, formative, impactful work of history that American Catholics have needed for a very long time. As mentioned, the scope is massive, but it is not of course perfectly complete. There are details about Hiroshima that I found wanting, I still cannot quite grasp the politics of France during the Second World War, and I struggled to really grasp the progression of day-to-day life in the fledgling United States. This is the reality of a book which carries so much in so few pages, and it doesn’t matter. I found in this book a place to begin, a Catholic fortress to peer out from as I explore various events in greater detail.
It’s vaguely chronological, but the narrative flow of the book was hard to even pin down. It all happened naturally, decades becoming centuries, events at home lined up with contemporary global happenings. It just worked. Most of the book is very much focused on “non-Church related” history, but I found the final stretch also to be a great primer on the Americanist heresy as well as really putting together the centuries-long puzzle of the Modernist crisis. If you’re the sort who believes our problems really began at Vatican II, Puritan’s Empire will disabuse you of that notion!
The book ends with a very challenging segment on authentic Catholic social teaching and how it may be applied to the United States. Even as someone with political beliefs that are often anathema to the modern discourse, I felt uncomfortable when considering some of the points raised. I knew I was wrong, and yet, my formation in the heresies of the modern world is a powerful thing emotionally. Coloumbe recognizes that if there is a hope of this radical, beautiful, Catholic vision for America, it is paramount that she first be converted to the One True Faith. For this to happen, Catholicism in America must be continually converted, deepened into the fullness of truth, without compromise. The same is true for all of us. The same is true for me. Christ the King, Thy Kingdom come!
[DISCLAIMER: Tumblar House sent me this book free of charge, to read for my own enjoyment and to review if I wished to do so. As always, all of my opinions are my own, and cannot be bought for any price.]
Now, starting off, I must confess I’m actually a Canadian, and also that I am far less educated on history than I would like to be. There were parts of this book I didn’t understand very well that I would like to re-visit on a second read through, with Google opened up and ready to go. There were names mentioned which I promptly forgot, causing confusion when they were brought up again. There were sections I found less interesting than others that I had to plod through. I don’t consider these to be criticisms of the book itself, rather, they are criticisms of the reader. This book taught me how much I did not know about the political and cultural currents which today shape my life, and it strengthened my conviction to learn these things so that I may pass them on to my children. Though the (oft-evil) history of American education is a minor part of this book, it may be one of the best touchstones for those warily eyeing the sheer bulk of pages.
I was homeschooled, and had a very good education on history compared to many of my peers at the time - let alone those poor children and teens of today. Still, in reading this book, I felt my deficiencies! The educational rot runs deep, indeed, but I believe this book’s foremost thesis is especially apt in regard to education: there is no way forward for America without the Catholic Church, likewise (and the main focus of the book as a whole), there is no clear vision of history without her. Try as my parents may, they were missing an essential element of my education - just as American (and I would argue, Canadian) society is missing its very soul.
If you can accept that you may not understand everything that this book talks about (or better yet, you are well-read enough to avoid such worries!), you will benefit greatly by reading it. Do you understand every bit about the American national ideology (which is often one and the same as the Americanist heresy, unfortunately) that you are mired in? Of course not. You were moulded into it, fed bits and pieces at a time, by various books and media which impacted you deeply, especially in childhood. Education is more than names and places, events and dates. It’s intuitive, too. It’s the glasses through which you see the world, adding lens onto lens, the picture becoming more clear as you go.
I believe that this book is the definitive, formative, impactful work of history that American Catholics have needed for a very long time. As mentioned, the scope is massive, but it is not of course perfectly complete. There are details about Hiroshima that I found wanting, I still cannot quite grasp the politics of France during the Second World War, and I struggled to really grasp the progression of day-to-day life in the fledgling United States. This is the reality of a book which carries so much in so few pages, and it doesn’t matter. I found in this book a place to begin, a Catholic fortress to peer out from as I explore various events in greater detail.
It’s vaguely chronological, but the narrative flow of the book was hard to even pin down. It all happened naturally, decades becoming centuries, events at home lined up with contemporary global happenings. It just worked. Most of the book is very much focused on “non-Church related” history, but I found the final stretch also to be a great primer on the Americanist heresy as well as really putting together the centuries-long puzzle of the Modernist crisis. If you’re the sort who believes our problems really began at Vatican II, Puritan’s Empire will disabuse you of that notion!
The book ends with a very challenging segment on authentic Catholic social teaching and how it may be applied to the United States. Even as someone with political beliefs that are often anathema to the modern discourse, I felt uncomfortable when considering some of the points raised. I knew I was wrong, and yet, my formation in the heresies of the modern world is a powerful thing emotionally. Coloumbe recognizes that if there is a hope of this radical, beautiful, Catholic vision for America, it is paramount that she first be converted to the One True Faith. For this to happen, Catholicism in America must be continually converted, deepened into the fullness of truth, without compromise. The same is true for all of us. The same is true for me. Christ the King, Thy Kingdom come!
[DISCLAIMER: Tumblar House sent me this book free of charge, to read for my own enjoyment and to review if I wished to do so. As always, all of my opinions are my own, and cannot be bought for any price.]
July 12, 2014
Loved this book. The author has a passionate, rich Catholicism which brings magic to everything he writes ... a definite antidote to materialistic accounts of my country's history. I have an a rather epic-length review of this at my website with extensive quotes for anyone who may be interested ...
http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2010/...
http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2010/...
December 8, 2024
An exhortation to convert this country if I’ve ever read one.
December 30, 2024
Should be the American History textbook in every Catholic High-school/College in the country. At times infuriating, Coloumbe rips off the veneer of American exceptionalism and the "shining city on a hill" mentality that colored American History for students of the last generation and prior, without falling prey to the leftist idea that America is the great evil "conceived in genocide and built by racism" that colors the study of American History today. Coulombe masterfully tells the Catholic history of the country from the settlement in different areas by the French and Spanish, to how Catholics were treated by the Country's protestant majority. By the end, the Catholic reader understands perfectly their place in the country today as well as their duty to evangelize her.
August 27, 2017
In my opinion, the best history book on American history. What makes it good is not its intense focus on individual events, but on the driving influences of America's actions throughout its existence. I only disagreed with the author's analysis a couple times. I wish there was a bigger glossary. I will keep for referencing and rereading!
May 15, 2020
A true 5 stars, genuinely one of the best books I've ever read. Many things one here's reference to as a Catholic such as Americanism or the masonry that pervades this country, is explored informatively in this book. It's interesting and chopped up into short chapters and is a book worthy of a highlighter and a notebook on the side.
September 20, 2023
The history we are taught in school is not what you think it is. In Puritan’s Empire, Mr. Coulombe tells you the things that the schools leave out. Eye opening. Will make you reconsider everything you’ve ever been taught. A must read, especially if you are an American Catholic.
Our country was founded by Puritans, and most of them were nuts.
Our country was founded by Puritans, and most of them were nuts.
September 7, 2019
Well written, comprehensive (despite the author's warning it could not be), and insightful. I learned something new with every page, and I look forward to exploring what I learned and further exploring bibliography. Truly excellent in format, approach, and explanations. Happy reading!
April 3, 2025
Strongly reccomend for anyone that is wanting to break out of the last 500 years of anglo-american whig historiography.
Americanism is puritanism. Plain and simple. Coulombe's historic work discusses many aspects ranging from the aspects of puritan political theology, to Paul Revere, to the true motivations of John Hancock (who was upset that legal tea/goods had become cheaper than his illegally smuggled tea/goods and bankrolled the Boston Tea Party), as well as how the split between puritan New England and the rest of the American colonies was already present in the 1640s. New England sided with the Roundheads in the English Civil War, whereas Anglican Virginia and Catholic Maryland sided with the Cavaliers. The last battles of the English Civil War (the puritan revolution) actually took place in tidewater Virginia and Maryland as a result of Cromwell sending a fleet of ships all the way from England to the American colonies.
This tensions between puritan New England and the rest of what would become America would all come to a real fever pitch during the 1860s. The American Civil War was really is Third Civil War. The First Civil War was from 1640-1651, the Second Civil War was from 1776-1783, and the Third Civil War was from 1861-1865.
In each of these conflicts, the puritans (and their descendants) won. Not because they had "better ideas", but because they were better at strategically killing people.
Americanism is puritanism. Plain and simple. Coulombe's historic work discusses many aspects ranging from the aspects of puritan political theology, to Paul Revere, to the true motivations of John Hancock (who was upset that legal tea/goods had become cheaper than his illegally smuggled tea/goods and bankrolled the Boston Tea Party), as well as how the split between puritan New England and the rest of the American colonies was already present in the 1640s. New England sided with the Roundheads in the English Civil War, whereas Anglican Virginia and Catholic Maryland sided with the Cavaliers. The last battles of the English Civil War (the puritan revolution) actually took place in tidewater Virginia and Maryland as a result of Cromwell sending a fleet of ships all the way from England to the American colonies.
This tensions between puritan New England and the rest of what would become America would all come to a real fever pitch during the 1860s. The American Civil War was really is Third Civil War. The First Civil War was from 1640-1651, the Second Civil War was from 1776-1783, and the Third Civil War was from 1861-1865.
In each of these conflicts, the puritans (and their descendants) won. Not because they had "better ideas", but because they were better at strategically killing people.
August 12, 2019
History of America focusing on and from a Catholic perspective
The book is long and detailed. I learned many things not discussed elsewhere (certainly not in any school I attended). The author editorializes, especially at the end, but his argument are though provoking.
The target audience are Catholics but non-Catholics may find its arguments engaging.
The book is long and detailed. I learned many things not discussed elsewhere (certainly not in any school I attended). The author editorializes, especially at the end, but his argument are though provoking.
The target audience are Catholics but non-Catholics may find its arguments engaging.
April 20, 2023
An amazing fun book to read. It really highlights overlooked things relating to Catholics in American history. For hundred of years we were really not liked at all by people, specifically Protestants for some reason. It goes into a lot of history from pre America and the revolution to basically up to the 80s I would say. One of my favorite books to read.
5/5
5/5
July 27, 2021
Sic transit gloria Americae.
A very refreshing Catholic take on the Puritan and Freemasonic origin of America. Without the past there is no future. Only traditions and the Faith can save America from the peril she is in.
A very refreshing Catholic take on the Puritan and Freemasonic origin of America. Without the past there is no future. Only traditions and the Faith can save America from the peril she is in.
February 27, 2021
Great Read.
The author did a Great job in laying out the history of the United States. It was informative and insightful.
The author did a Great job in laying out the history of the United States. It was informative and insightful.
September 11, 2021
Very interesting view of American history that you definitely don't learn about in school
September 21, 2024
Excellent overview of American history from a traditional Catholic perspective, from the French and Spanish settlements up through the 1969 moon landings. The author also traced the influence that the Americanist heresy had all through U.S. history and showed how it prevented the United States from becoming a truly Catholic country.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews