The Founding of Modern Singapore
In the early 19th century, Singapore was just a small fishing village. Yet on 6 February 1819, an agreement was signed between Sir Stamford Raffles and Tengku Hussein, whom Sir Raffles recognised as the sultan of Johor. Sir Stamford Raffles wanted to set up a trading settlement in Singapore due to its strategic location.
Singapore is located at the southern entrance of the Straits of Melaka and along the trade route from Europe to China, thus it is a strategic spot to set up a trading settlement, where merchants can rest and purchase fuel.
Thus, Sir Stamford Raffles signed an agreement with Tengku Hussein and agreed to pay him a sum of money each year. Afterwhich, Raffles left Singapore and left his assistant, Major William Farquhar in-charge of Singapore. He then returned in 1922 and became the chief town planner.
He assigned different pieces of land to the various racial groups in Singapore; the Malays, the Indians, the Chinese and the Europeans. These people were mainly immigrants who came to Singapore in search of a better life. Some of them planned to go home as soon as they haved earned their fortune. Some others stayed here for good. This is one reason why there is a diversity of races in Singapore today.
- The Founding of Singapore
- The 20th Century
- The Road to Independence