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The Story of Civilization

TAN Academics

The Story of Civilization

Living history through a Catholic lens for middle school classrooms.

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Audience Middle school classrooms, parish programs, homeschool co-ops
Format Four volume narrative history with Catholic worldview
Approach Story driven chapters, saints and statesmen, faith and culture
Orthodoxy Faithful to the Magisterium, standards aligned

Series Overview

The Story of Civilization invites students into the drama of salvation history as it unfolds across the world. Catholic historian Phillip Campbell blends scholarship with storytelling so the past is a living journey guided by divine providence, not a list of names and dates.

Short, vivid chapters place students in the shoes of saints and sinners, rulers and workers, explorers and inventors. More than an academic text, it forms a Catholic worldview of history and integrates intellectual, moral, and spiritual formation.

Who it is for

  • Students: Step into the lives of saints, rulers, thinkers, and explorers.
  • Teachers and Administrators: Standards aligned with strong Catholic identity and flexible use.
  • Bishops and Priests: Supports catechesis and evangelization with the Catholic story of humanity.
  • Parents: Confidence that faith and reason are united and history comes alive at home.

Volumes in the Series

Volume I: The Ancient World

From the dawn of history and Old Testament Israel to Greece, Rome, and the conversion of Constantine. Storybook delivery through a faithful prism of the Church.

Did you know

  • Minoan youths practiced bull leaping
  • King Xerxes ordered soldiers to whip the waves
  • Archimedes built a giant heat ray with sunbeams
  • Hannibal marched war elephants over the Alps
  • Julius Caesar loved Cleopatra of Egypt

Volume II: The Medieval World

From Constantine onward. Christendom takes root with Ambrose, Patrick, and Benedict. Knights, crusades, castles, inventions, and monastic culture.

Did you know

  • Monks were early adopters of clocks
  • St. Patrick was kidnapped by pirates
  • St. Bernard once excommunicated a swarm of flies
  • The pope lived in France during the Avignon Papacy
  • The Black Death killed millions across Europe
  • Knights used swords, lances, maces, and crossbows
  • Marco Polo became a legendary explorer

Volume III: The Making of the Modern World

Renaissance to Reformation and beyond. Meet saints like Pius V, Thomas More, John Vianney, and Margaret Mary, and leaders like Henry VIII, Napoleon, and Louis XIV. Through two world wars and into the present.

Did you know

  • Columbus called natives Indians because he thought he reached India
  • Henry VIII was titled Defender of the Faith
  • Popes were called prisoners of the Vatican for decades
  • Louis XIV was the Sun King
  • The Iron Curtain divided Europe

Volume IV: The History of the United States

Columbus to the present. Saints such as Juan Diego, Peter Claver, and Elizabeth Ann Seton, explorers like Lewis and Clark and Neil Armstrong, presidents, and key national events.

Did you know

  • Cortez conquered the Aztecs with a few hundred soldiers
  • North America produced many saints and martyrs
  • The teddy bear is named for Teddy Roosevelt
  • Interstates were championed by President Eisenhower
  • Germany urged Mexico to attack the U.S. in World War I
  • Heroes on Flight 93 saved lives on September 11, 2001

Ready for classroom integration

Printable one sheet for administrators, teachers, and parents.

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