COURSE DESCRIPTION
This class uses the primary source materials of our native saints as a guide through American History. We will discuss each period’s particular challenges in turn and then use the saints’ lives to show how Catholics in the state of grace rose to meet those challenges.
Though history is often taught as a series of chronological facts, at heart it really tells a story. Thomas Cole’s “Course of Empire” paintings will contrast classical historiography and progressivism, and both will be then subjected to the Augustinian/Catholic view of the cities of God and man. In this light, each era of American History will be considered in turn: who were the first inhabitants of America, and what were Europeans seeking in their voyages across the ocean? From there, we will examine the interplay between these peoples and others, and then gradually trace the development of the American Republic through its agrarian beginnings to the commercial and industrial Empire of the Space Age.
The main themes of each era will be distilled down to a particular set of challenges that faced the saints as individual human beings trying to respond to problems they saw before them, including any apparent successes and failures within their lifetimes and beyond. At the end of the course, students will be able to write a basic outline of American History and write a short saint's biography (of their choosing) in the style of the Roman Martyrology.
This course will be available for purchase by April 15, 2026. Course materials will arrive by June 1, 2026. Join the waitlist to be notified as soon as the course is open for enrollment!
Course Details
Ages:
- 14 and up (recommended)
- Adult learners welcome!
Course Duration:
- 14 weeks (recommended)
Course Components:
- Weekly reading assignment (primary source materials -- Mr. Salvucci's course text sold separately)
- Teach to the Text Study Guide (hard copy, comes with course, includes discussion questions)
- Weekly video lecture by Mr. Salvucci
- Weekly, auto graded quiz
Teacher-Student Interaction:
- Mr. Salvucci will not be available to students taking the self-paced course
- Mr. Salvucci will be available to provide limited consulting for on-site co-teachers who are leading a group of students through the course
Cost: $199 per student
- Contact Teach to the Text to inquire about discounts for group enrollment
- All groups who register and participate in the "Imitate Your Favorite Saint" contest will receive 10% off the cost of enrollment!
How to Take This Course:
- Please sign up for the waitlist. We'll be in touch with you as soon as the course is ready. Expected January 2026!
Imitate Your Favorite (American) Saint Contest
- Happening Dec. 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026
- On Facebook and Instagram
- Win free enrollment for your whole group up to 25 people!
- LEARN MORE
Questions? Email
LECTURER/CO-TEACHER
Claudio Salvucci specializes in traditional American Catholicism and has authored numerous books including The American Martyrology, The Roman Rite in the Algonquian and Iroquoian Missions, The Annals of Colonial North America series, and the American Language Reprint series. His research on American liturgies and devotional traditions have appeared in the New Liturgical Movement, Liturgical Arts Journal, and Latin Mass Magazine, and he currently serves as the Communications Director for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in North America.
What is Co-Teaching?
Co-Teaching allows your co-op or class to enroll in Mr. Salvucci's course with a group discount. Your students get the benefit of Mr. Salvucci's teaching and expertise (his course text, lectures, study guides and quizzes) and your on-site teacher gets the benefit of learning the material too! Your on-site teacher helps the course to come alive, decides how best to use class time, and does any additional assigning or grading that might be required.
