History

This depiction of Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory at the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813 highlights the role of African American sailors, who won praise from their once skeptical commander. Based on an original by W.H. Powell.

"Gloriosa Victoria" (Glorious Victory) by Diego Rivera depicts the U.S. involvement in the 1954 coup against the president of Guatemala, Jacobo Árbenz. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia.

Catholic rebels, or "Cristeros," taking up arms against the Mexican state and its anti-clerical laws, circa 1926.

In the 19th Century United States, same-sex physical affection (sometimes the result of romantic friendships) was common.

From the later Mexican revolutionary period, during the presidency of Plutarco Elías Calles, this famous photograph's fame lies in its populist, revolutionary sensibility.

The execution of King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. Painted by George Heinrich Sieveling 1793.

Santa Clara’s History Department strives to be a community of scholars in which students and faculty engage in vigorous inquiry to study and understand the past.

This is the product of both interpretation of what others have written about the past and original scholarship that expands the boundaries of historical knowledge. Because history is what the present says about the past, it is continuously undergoing reinterpretation. Examination of the construction of history is therefore at the base of learning and scholarship within the department.

Through an integrated approach to teaching, learning, and scholarship, students will become informed about their own and other cultures in a global context, will develop broadly reflective and analytic skills, and will prepare themselves to be engaged citizens serving their societies.

History Is Not a Useless Major: Fighting Myths with Data
In Perspectives on History, the American Historical Association busts three myths about "the prospective lives of those who major in history."

Historical Perspectives
Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History

One of the Nation’s Greatest Women
She was an extraordinary advocate and leader in the Progressive Era. Her husband even used to talk about "when we were governor."