Vols. 1-2 are reprints. Originally published: Chicago : H. Regnery Co., 1967. Vol. 3 is a new work. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. v. 1. 1493-1865 -- v. 2. 1866-1966 -- v. 3. 1966-1986.

This collection of historical documents and scholarly articles sheds light on the rich history of the Catholic Church in America, particularly in the Northeastern United States. With contributions from a range of scholars and historians, it provides a comprehensive overview of this important aspect of American religious and cultural history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

An overview in primary documents of almost four hundred years of the American Catholic experience Catholics were among the early Spanish explorers to the “New World,” and they have a long and rich history in the United States. By taking account of significant letters, diaries, theological reflections, and other primary documents, we can listen to the voices of what real Catholics in this country have thought, believed, feared, and dreamed. American Catholic History makes available original documents produced in North America from the earliest missionary voyages in the sixteenth century up to the present day. The texts have been selected to illuminate the complex history, beliefs, and practices of what has become North American Roman Catholicism. They are prefaced by brief editorial introductions which provide historical and biographical context for the texts. They illuminate broad themes in the development of the tradition, from its grappling with new frontiers to its long-time status as outside mainstream culture, and from its intellectual life and political engagement to patterns of worship and spirituality. American Catholic History offers an overview of the American Catholic experience from both the “top down” of institutional and intellectual history as well as from the “bottom up” of social, devotional, women's and ethnic histories.