History Paper 7

Back in 97, my favourite subject aside from English Literature, was History Paper 7 which basically covered the history of America since the time of Herbert Hoover till today. It was a fascinating subject as we had to keep up with international politics & trade up to the point of the examination date. Time, Newsweek, The Straits Times, The Economist, et al were our reading materials and we had to slave over them on a daily/weekly basis. Devouring textbooks and mere memorization of facts weren't sufficient. Political analysis was the crux in landing a good grade. Our teacher, Miss Eunice Khoo, was a walking history archive. Often, we were amazed at how she could rattle off the dates/events/names without referring to any notes in a single hour. Nothing fazed her. Believe me. You could name the most obscure figure in American history and like Google, she would be able to provide details in 0.37 seconds. Each theory was often refreshing and original. Miss Khoo certainly upped the zeal for History Paper 7 in us.

The civil rights movement was a major topic in History Paper 7. On the bus, the Blacks were often segregated from the Whites who normally sat at the front. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a milestone in the civil rights movement. The civilian who gave rise to the paradigm shift in racial partiality in America was none other than Rosa Parks.


The civil rights movement had always intrigued me alongside other topics like Communism, The American Presidency, Republicans vs Democrats, Fascism & the Cold War. One topic I loathed was Congress & The House of Representatives.

Reading that article on Rosa Parks evoked nostalgia. I still have all my notes on History Paper 7 & recall terms like glasnost & perestroika. Miss Khoo, you're the best!