History Sec2notes

History CHAPTER1Whatisit? History is the study of the past. When we study history, we want to find out what, how&why an event happened in the past How do historians construct knowledge about the past In 4 steps… -Ask qns abt the past(5W1H) -Gather sources(Pri&Secondary sources) -Examine the source to extract info (Consistency,corroboration&credibility) -Arrive at a logical conclusion about the past Sources Divided into 4 groups 1. Written evidence-news, ocial records etc… 2. Pictorial evidence-paintings, posters, maps etc… 3. Oral evidence-interviews spoken by witnesses 4. Artefacts-items used by the people in the pastWhystudyit● Understand change and how society has come to be● Learn from past successes and failures● Understand and respect each other● Develop critical thinking skillsHowconnectedwasSingaporetotheregion&theworld● Its location was very strategic● Located between South of china & East of India (where most trades take place)● Very attractive due to the location & proximity of these places● Chinese goods like silk & ceramic & Indian goods like spices & wood were in high demand & being traded a lot The silk route(It was called the silk route as the amount of silk trading that took place was huge) In its early days, trade was only done by land, it was a historic trade route that dated to the 2nd century BC stretched through China India Arabia Persia Greece & Italy traders then turned to maritime route as it became unsafe due to dangers & travel dicultiesMaritimeTradeRoute Due to dangers in the silk route, traders used Maritime trade routes around 100BC People built better, faster & stronger ships thus it was faster&safer to travel by sea than by land Most traders were from the Middle East, China, India & Southeast Asia This led to the demand for ports in Asia where ships could rest & repair their ships & get replenishmentGrowthofports Ports were strategically located alongChina, India maritime trade routes During early days, tech wasn't developed & a ship couldn’t sail over long distances without stopping at ports These stopover points were called ports of call as they serve convenient stopovers for ships to be resupplied with food, water repairs These ports then became collection centres for goods & a place to rest Overtime these ports evolved into major trading hubsMonsoonwinds

In the early days, ships had to rely on the winds for their travel Ships had to travel with the flow of the wind to reach their destination Thus the winds that blow towards &away from Singapore was useful for travelling to&from SingaporeHowdidearlySingaporebecomeanimportanttradingcenterHowdidearlySGbecomeanimportanttradingempire Srivijaya was a mighty empire & had control of the main trade routes in the sea around Bur the empire collapsed in the 13th century due to war & was taken over by another kingdom This then led to the major decline of Srivijaya as a major trading port Traders then shifted to the straits of Melaka and moved to SG as it was closerWhatdoearlysourcessayaboutSG’sconnectiontotheworld1)RECORDS Chinese merchant/traveller from Yuan China visited SG around 1300,says that the climate was hot with heavy rains and there were also pirates living there2)Archaeologicalfinds Singapore was a major trading city since as early as the 14h century Pottery, Jewellery& other objects show that Sg had trade relations with other countries SG traded with India, China & other countries within the region3)Maps Many historians know about Singapore in the 16th century itself The Spanish map shows the coast of SG The map contains names of places in SG that are still used todayScientificData Tree Ring record Show thatThere was famine and drought during that period Singapore’s trade suered during those periodsWHYDIDSGDECLINEDURINGTHE14THCENTURY1)Climate&ECONOMICCHANGES During the 14th century, there were severe famines in china As the Chinese economy collapsed Singapore would also have been aected2)Externalthreats Singapore was also aected by external threats As a small nation, it could not aord a big army/navy Bigger kingdoms like the Majapahit empire could have also caused the downfall of Singapore3)Melakasultanate Melaka took over SG as a key trading port in the 15th century Melaka came under the protection of china Melaka came under the protection of china Melaka was also the main port of call for the imperial king navy Because of this, the importance of Melaka grew while Singapore declinedImportanceofSGtotheJohoresultanate SG was able to rise back to prominence again as many European travellers wrote about Singapore Trade between the Johore sultanate and China increased as it mainly focused on porcelain and other artefacts Trades were done through SG thus it was a getaway to china tradeSustainabilityofSG SG had a deep natural harbour, thus it was easy for ships to come much closer to shore and goods can be loaded easily from ships It had plenty of fresh water and thereby it can supply a large number of people Its strategic location meant that it was at the halfway port for ships to dock between India and China and thus was at a commanding position this would give the brits good control over their India china trade How did the Brits establish a port in SG

Raes decided to support Tengku Hussien as the rightful Sultan Hussein allowed the brits to set up a trading port in SG On 16 Feb 1819, Hussein was proclaimed as the sultan of Johore A treaty was signed that allowed the Brits EIC to set up a trading settlement in SG The Temenggong and Hussein would receive protection and a yearly allowance from the EIC WhatdidtheBritsdotodevelopSGasa settlementfrom1819-1826MajorWilliamFarquhar Singapore's first resident Developed SG according to raes plan Encouraged many local traders to come to SG to trade Cleared the plains on the NE bank of SG river SG became a thriving cosmopolitan town Established defence positions around SG Informed ships passing SG about the tax-free port Granted licenses to increase gambling,liquor, opiumSirStanfordRaffles Raes left SG and Farquhar was left to manage the colony Raes only came back after 4 years He was furious that his plans were neglected and weren’t happy with opium and slave trading Shut down opium houses, gambling dens and brothels opened by Farquhar Came up with Raers town plan DrJohnCrawfurd British Resident of SG in Mar 1823 Started reclamation work on the SG river Reintroduced the licensing of gambling,prostitution and opium Encouraged free trade Concluded the final agreement on SG Introduced SGs first newspapers and street light Chapt3HowdidBritishruleandExternaldevelopmentsaffectSGsgrowth&WhydidSGgrowintoaleadingport From the 1840s onwards, SG became an important port in the region Because of The opening of the Chinese market Ocean-going steamships meant less time & cost of shipping goods to Europe Growth of rubber & tin in Malaya Arrival of many Malay,Indian&Arab traders Opening of Suez canal(1869) No taxation&little restriction. Establishing many merchant houses (Import&Exporting agencies were set up in SG) Whatisentrepottrade It’s otherwise known as transhipment port or trading port Goods brought here from other countries are stored or redistributed to other countries SG was the main center for redistribution to the whole of Southeast Asia during colonial daysSGpoliceforce SGs police force in the early days was small and weak 1843 Thomas Dunman was appointed as the police chief He increased wages,modernised it&set up a Police Training School &Police Academy

By 1930s it had 2k ocers and became a formidable fighting force & managed to maintain law&orderSecretsocietyproblems Many immigrants were poor & had no friends when they came to SG,Secret societies helped the coolies who were sick & jobless.They also gave a proper burial to those who died with no money But they were responsible for many riots that happened&targeted the houses of the rich, Colonial authorities could not stop them as they did not understand their language/customsLabour