History of Singapore Secondary 2

Chapter 1: was there Singapore before 1819?

The Singapore stone: - Located at the mouth of the Singapore River- Measures 3 metres high and wideFound 150 years ago.- Writing dated back to the 12th or 13th centuries- Writing shows that people of those days could read and write but in a different language from us today The Serajah Melayu: - Tells of life in the 13th and 14th centuries- Singapore was called Temasek, meant sea port or sea town- Singapore was founded by a ruler from Sumatra, Palembang in Sumatra, renaming Temasek Singapura meaning Lion City (the guy was Sang Nila Utama)- Singapore grew into a thriving trading centre under the leadership of Sang Nila Utama and his descendants, even the Majapahit empire wanted to seize Singapore for its own.- So the wall of the fort stretched from the sea to the wall called Bukit Larangan, now known as Fort Canning Hill. Daoyi Zhi Lue (Description of the Barbarians of the Isles): - Travel Accounts by Wang Da Yuan, visiting Singapore during the 14th century.Singapore was a great and famous place, many foreigners visited it. The Chinese trading ships had to sail through a dragons teeth strait between south coast of Singapore and Sentosa Island- There was a large range of exported products such as hornbillcasques, laksawood and cotton- Traders were afraid to come to Temasek due to piracy. Jewellery, porcelain, stoneware, and earthenware: - Found at fort canning park- Dated in the 14th and 15th centuries- Some of these objects came from China, Yuan and Ming dynasty (blue and white porcelain), Sri Lanka and Thailand (glazed pottery) What happened to Singapore after the 14th century? - Parameswara from Palembang murdered the local ruler and made himself king in Singapura. - Parameswara was driven out by the Javanese or Siamese troops and fled to Melaka where he founded a port city taking away Singapores importance as a trading port- Melaka was later captured by the Portuguese in 1511, thereby controlling the spice trade in the region- In 1613, they burnt down the settlement at the mouth of the Singapore River to prevent from other European forces from settling there and having a share of their great profits- The region was later on taken over by the Dutch- Singapura still traded with China in the 16th and 17th century as the Blue and white porcelain made during that time period was discovered. How different are archaeologists and historians?

History of Singapore Secondary 2

- Archaeologists study the past through material remains people left behind whilst historians study the past through written records or texts- Examples of what archaeologists study: Artefacts, Rocks (Geology), flora and fauna remains.Examples of what historians study: Maps, Diaries, Inscriptions, Photographs, and Interviews with eye witnesses.

Chapter 2: Who was the founder of Singapore?

Why was Singapore chosen by the British? Need to break Dutch control of trade in the Malay Archipelago. - Competition between British and Dutch East India Companies outside Europe for profit and Monopoly of trade routes.-Britain had already commerce with China, India and the Malay Archipelago.- Dutch controlled a large part of Java and Melaka. They restricted British to only trade at Batavia- The British were taxed heavily on the goods they sold or bought.- Every Asian trading boat had to fly a Dutch flag and carry a Dutch permit or pass in order to trade at Dutch-controlled ports.- Thus, the Dutch became the biggest rival of the British in Southeast Asia Importance of India-China trade - British had a lucrative trade with China- A new trading settlement was needed as a stopover point. Ineffectiveness of Bencoolen and Penang versus Melaka - Location of both ports was too far from main trading area in Malay ArchipelagoBencoolen was an unsuitable trading port as it was situated on the wrong side of Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean instead of the Straits of Melaka.- Penang was lying too far north of the Straits of Melaka and was not very useful for controlling the Straits of Melaka and protecting British ships using the Straits.- Dutch controlled both Straits of Melaka and Straits of Sunda. They could cut off the valuable trade between Penang and the important trading centres within the Archipelago. Singapores qualities - It has an excellent harbour and a good supply of drinking water- Could protect shipping in time of piracy- Central position in the Straits of Melaka- Protect ships between China and India What problems did the British face in starting a trading settlement in Singapore? The Dutch were in control - Singapore was under the rule of Sultan Abdul Raman who was under the DutchRaffles decided to recognise Tengku Hussein as the rightful Sultan and obtain permission to set up a settlement in Singapore

History of Singapore Secondary 2

- The northern bank of Singapore River was filled with trees, bushes and tall grasses- Clear jungles to build attap huts for Farquhar and men

History of Singapore Secondary 2

How Farquhar tackled the problems faced Defence - Soldiers built big guns facing the sea Getting food for the settlers - People of Melaka sailed to Singapore in boats with poultry and fruits- Food was expensive Getting people to come and trade - Farquhar invited settlers from Melaka to comeA British official was stationed on St. Johns Island was to invite shipsto trade in Singapore Law and Order - Robbery fighting and murder took place often- A small police force was set up to restore peace and order- The police force was made up of mostly Indians and Malays, thusunable to communicate with the Chinese and their dialects. Pests - Rats and centipedes were everywhere- Farquhar gave money for getting rid of these pests and wassuccessful- Rats could spread diseases and centipede bites are poisonous.

History of Singapore Secondary 2 Chapter 3: What part did the different immigrant communities play in Singapores development?
Why did the immigrants come to Singapore? Push factors- reasons why people came to Singapore becauseof unfavourable conditions in their homeland Chinese:- Rapid population growth- which deprived people of living space dueto overcrowding- Shortage of food- Natural disasters- War with foreigners- Weak Qing governmentMalays:- War in Java and Malaya- Piracy in Java and Malaya- This has threatened the trade and lives of the merchants whose shipswere seen in that region. Thus in order to safe keep their lives andproperty, merchants decided to come to Singapore.Indians:- Rapid population growth- Shortage of food and jobsNatural disasters such as droughts and famines.-Therefore in order to keep their lives, the immigrants have no choicebut to flee to a safe placeEuropeans/British:Need of markets for goods- British companies set up branches in Singapore Pull factors- benefits of coming to Singapore (e.g. jobs,drinking water) - No restriction on immigration as the original population of the countrywas only a few orang lauts and fishermen. Thus in order to build up theeconomy and the countrys profile, there was no restriction onimmigration.- Good geographical location of Singapore as they were situatedbetween 2 trading giants, India and China which made it suitable as astopover point for traders to trade and refuel and replenish foodsupplies.- Better jobs and opportunities for trade- Peace and Stability- Free port status where traders need not pay taxes Where did the immigrants live? - Settled near the mouth of Singapore River- Town plan was developed where commercial, government andresidential were demarcated to improve the haphazard way in whichbuildings were built in the settlement - Races and the Chinese dialet groups were separated. A kaiptan wasappointed for each community- Roads were widened- Land was reclaimed- Rubber and Gambier plantations were grown all over the island- Malays stayed at Kampong GlamIndians stayed at Chulia Kampong- Europeans and rich Asians stay in European town- Chinese stay at Chinatown How did the immigrants contribute to Singapores growth as a tradingcentre? - Europeans act as agents controlling rights to sell goodsimported/exported from England- Chinese worked as coolies at the dock and construction sites- Chinese who could speak sufficient English, Malay and local dialectsworked as Chinese middlemen acted as coolie agents- Some Chinese worked as barbers, shop owners, rickshaw pullers,street hawkers, and shop owners- Indians worked as labourers, chettiars and controlled transportation- Malays worked as gardeners, hunters and ship builders.

History of Singapore Secondary 2

What social impact did the immigrants have on Singapore? - Diseases such as Malaria, Cholera and smallpox were rampant- People were sick and poor- Tan Tock Seng set up Paupers Hospital- Syed Mohamed bin Alsagoff spent money building wells and providingmedical services and an Arabic school.Money was spent for providing proper burials for the poor- Christian missionaries helped set up hospitals, one such school wasChinese Girls School which is now known as St. Margarets School.- Abuse of coolies, slave trade, secret societies, prostitution and opiumsmoking were rampant in the 1850s- There was also gangsters and kidnapping which made streets unsafe.- Crime rate was high