Founded in 1969, its initial officers included Kyle Sessions as president and Miriam Usher Chrisman as vice president.
The society also sponsors a book series, Early Modern Studies, now published by the Truman State University Press.
In 1990, it established an endowment and joined the American Council of Learned Societies.
[1] The SCSC holds an annual conference, usually during October.
Its presidents have included Walter S. Melion of Emory University, Amy Burnett, Department of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Executive Director Donald J. Harreld, Department of History, Brigham Young University.