White man's burden
The term "White Man's Burden" originates from a poem by British writer Rudyard Kipling in 1898, which urged Western nations, particularly the United States, to take on the responsibility of bringing European law and culture to colonized regions. This concept emerged during a time of significant imperial expansion, particularly following the Spanish-American War, when the U.S. acquired territories such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Kipling's call to action reflected a prevalent belief among imperialists that it was their duty to civilize and uplift "lesser" nations. However, this notion also sparked controversy and criticism, as it is often interpreted through a lens of racism and ethnocentrism, suggesting a superiority of Western culture over others. Today, the phrase "White Man's Burden" is frequently associated with the moral complexities and contradictions of colonialism, highlighting the impact of imperialism on both the colonizers and the colonized. While initially framed as a noble mission, it has become a symbol of the paternalistic attitudes that characterized much of the colonial era. The legacy of this concept continues to prompt discussions about cultural imperialism and the responsibilities of nations in a global context.
White man's burden
In 1898, the year of the Spanish-American War, the famous British writer Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), known as one of the foremost defenders of imperialism, called on Americans to join in the task of extending European law and culture to remoter regions of the earth. In one of his poems, “The White Man's Burden,” he urged the New World to “Take up the White Man’s burden—/Send forth the best ye breed—/Go bind your sons to exile/ To serve your captives’ need.”
Kipling’s poem shocked many, but to American expansionists, it was apposite. The United States, by dint of the short war with Spain, suddenly found itself a naval and colonial power. What was to be done with Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, all of which had suddenly fallen into American hands? Influenced in part by the views articulated in Kipling’s poem, President William McKinley decided to maintain control of the territories ceded by Spain, at least temporarily. The United States formally relinquished control of Cuba in 1902, and the Philippines regained independence in 1946 following World War II. In the twenty-first century, Guam and Puerto Rico remain U.S. territories, however.
Kipling’s poem—whose real theme was the moral responsibility of the conqueror—has been taken as an expression of racism. The famous phrase “white man’s burden” has come to signify the hypocrisy and ethnocentrism of the colonial period.
Bibliography
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Brantlinger, P. “Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden” and Its Afterlives.” English Literature in Transition, vol. 50, 2007, pp. 172–91, dx.doi.org/10.1353/elt.2007.0017. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
James, Lawrence. "'The White Man's Burden'? Imperial Wars in the 1890s." History Today, www.historytoday.com/archive/white-mans-burden-imperial-wars-1890s. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
"Rudyard Kipling, The White Man's Burden, 1899." Internet Modern History Sourcebook, compiled by Paul Halsall, Fordham U, Aug. 1997.
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