<p>zoosermom, if you’re interested in classical, medieval, or ecclesiastical history, Latin is a must. For an Americanist, it’s not so important. In general, a historian will need to be able to do research in the original language in whatever country/region s/he specializes in. </p>
<p>Most PhDs in humanities subjects have reading knowledge–not necessarily fluency–in a couple of European languages at minimum.</p>