White Man's Burden
This resource collects British and American texts and political cartoons justifying overseas
imperialism during the late 19th century. Its goal is to encourage critical analysis of the ways in
which imperialist endeavors were strongly racialized.
Introduction
"White man's burden" was a phrase coined by author Rudyard Kipling at the end of the
19th century. It referred to the idea that white races in Europe and the United States had a
responsibility to educate and Christianize "uncivilized" and "primitive" peoples of the world. The
term "burden" had the added implication that this was a Christian duty, thus lending a moral
rationale to the phrase. The "white man's burden" became one of the primary justifications for
British and American overseas imperialism during the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. During this time, the British sphere of colonial influence spanned the globe, with
India, South Africa, and Australia among Britain's many colonies. The geographical span of the
British Empire--with some part of the empire always seeing daylight--led to the statement that
"the sun never sets on the British Empire." Compared to Britain, the United States was a
relative latecomer and minor player in the imperialist endeavor. Nonetheless, by the early
twentieth century, the United States could claim a modest number of overseas colonies,
including Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. As their common appeal to the
"white man's burden" suggests, the imperialist endeavors in Britain and the United States
shared similar notions about race. Imperialists characterized colonized peoples in Africa, Asia,
the South Pacific, and the Caribbean as incapable of self-government. Only once these
peoples had been guided towards British and American models of government and democracy
would they be ready for independence. In such ways, imperialists depicted their endeavors as
morally righteous.
The following sources more fully explain the idea of the "white man's burden" by offering
examples of British and American imperialist rhetoric. The first source is Kipling's original poem,
which is credited as the origin of the phrase "white man's burden." The remaining sources are
political cartoons concerned with British and American imperialism at the turn of the century.
The first is from the American magazine Judge and depicts John Bull and Uncle Sam, the
symbols of Great Britain and the United States respectively, assuming their "burden." The
second is from the Detroit News and demonstrates a popular editorial device which portrayed
colonized peoples as children. The final cartoon is from the American political magazine
Harper's Weekly and depicts the common assumption that colonized peoples had to be
instructed in self-governance.
Source One
See “White Man’s Burden” sheet
Citation: Kipling, Rudyard. "The White Man's Burden." McClure's Magazine 12 (February 1899).
Source Two
Gillam, Victor. "The White Man's Burden." Judge, 1899.
"How Some Apprehensive People Picture Uncle Samafter the War." Detroit News, 1898.
Rogers, William Allan. "Uncle Sam's New Class in the Artof Self-Government." Harper's
Weekly, 27 August 1898.
Imperialism
“White Man’s Burden” Questions
Name: __________________________________________________
Document Questions
Period: _________
(1) According to Kipling, what made the "white man's burden" necessary? How were those
individuals who "took up the burden" changed?
(2) How are colonized peoples depicted in each cartoon? Consider such characteristics as
race, gender, and age.
(3) What do the sources reveal about the meaning of the "white man's burden"? Why did
colonized peoples need to be "uplifted"? Did these colonized peoples need to be
uplifted? What was the long term effect of this uplifting and interference? What does this
suggest about imperialists' conceptualizations of international affairs?
(4) What is the impact of this kind of thinking? Are their examples of societies imposing the
burden of civilization upon themselves today?