If by English, you mean English literature, then that would be my preference. If you mean grammar, writing, etc. then I'd probably choose history, even though I'm an English teacher! I find literature very interesting, but the other aspects of English class can be a little dry. A lot of people think history is hopelessly boring, but it's always been interesting to me.

There is a great deal of history in English, but when it comes to teaching I prefer English because of the flexibility.  I often feel as though I cannot make history interesting.  I want to make it creative and exciting, and I don’t really have the skill set for that.  For English I do, so I prefer English.

I think it really depends on what aspect of English you are referring to. Given the choice to learn about what English is or what History is, I would choose History because the former would probably bore me to death. However, if I had to choose between taking, say a literature class or a history class, I would choose literature because I would rather read and analyze a text and learn from that than read about history and learn from that. 

With that said, I do agree with some above posters who say that the two go hand-in-hand. I teach English and am good at it. I love history, but I'm no good at remembering facts and information. My favorite genre of literature happens to be historical fiction because I find it so interesting.

The consensus seems to be that most would have trouble choosing between the two, and I agree. Literature is essential to understanding history, and vice versa. When I teach, whether it is European or US History, literature, including short stories, excerpts from novels, poetry, etc. occupies a prominent place in almost every unit I teach. 

I am a longtime English teacher, but history has always been my first love. I still prefer reading historical biographies and reference books to fiction, and my favorite types of movies are historical dramas. It's a great learning experience, trying to understand why people of the past did the things they did.

I have a double major in English and History.  I wanted to teach English first, but my husband got a job and the only spot for me was History.  I loved it!  I am back to teaching English now, and I really enjoy it as well.  I honestly don't know if I could pick one.

Given the chance, I would do a double major myself.  English is history and history is English.  When I have taught social studies courses, I have always included novels, and when I have taught English courses, I have always included plenty of history.  Nothing is written in a historical vacuum, and history itself is a story. 

I must confess that I find the two disciplines so interconnected that they are together my joint favorite. Literature is a product and an indication of the time in which it was written. To me, it is impossible to appreciate the beauty of literature unless one understands the history behind it. Similarly, history without literature is like an egg without salt--it's missing something!  I am far too old to start over; but were I able to do so, I would flip a coin and major either in English Literature or History and minor in the other.

For me, it's history without a question.  I think that it's really fascinating to learn about how things happened in the past.  I think history can help us understand how our world came to be the way it is and what is likely to happen in the future.  It also helps us to understand how people over time have reacted to various situations.  This makes history my favorite subject.