The Truth Behind The Notion of The White Man’s Burden

The White Man’s Burden

The white man’s burden lead to many repercussions, ultimately resulting in the death of Americans without the gain of much. The conditions, issues, and result of white man’s burden had lasting effects on the American population.

The conditions surrounding the rise of the White Man’s Burden, was the start of an imperialist society (a society based on the extension of rule or authority of an empire over foreign countries, and holding colonies and dependencies.) The president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, James Mansergh congratulated his colleagues for ‘taking up the white man’s burden’ around the world,” in his 1901 speech regarding International Engineering. The term itself was originated in “The White Man’s Burden” by Kipling’s Hymn to U.S. Imperialism

Take up the White Man’s burden—

Send forth the best ye breed—

Go send your sons to exile

To serve your captives' need

To wait in heavy harness

On fluttered folk and wild—

Your new-caught, sullen peoples,

Half devil and half child

Take up the White Man’s burden

"The white man’s burden" is the concept of white Anglo-Saxton superiority and the “burden” of the superior race to help their little black brothers. People justified imperialism by creating a sense air of morality to imperialism’s oppression and exploitation by painting non-white people as subhuman.

The issue reflected the prevailing attitudes within the ideological frameworks of the period, by the idea of white superiority. In that day and age, the white people believed that God had given them the permission and ability to help those who were not white. The idea was not completely supported by all, but the air of Imperialism carried through and America began to branch outward; the idea of a White Man’s Burden, driving them along. with the fever of war aroused by the conflict with Spain, and the euphoria over the ease victory. the United States came to the conclusion that if they didn’t take over the islands then some other imperialist power would do so, and the general belief that anything other nation could do America could do better, overwhelmed both anti-imperialism and isolationism. The “splendid little war,” as Secretary of State John Hay called it, ended in 1899 with easy, total victory over Spain, but it was soon followed by the Philippine-American War

The white man’s burden had brought upon the Philippine-American War. A war which cost the lives of over 4,200 Americans, Americans who had been so sure that it was their God-given right to “aid” other nations that were underdeveloped. The war was ended by The Philippine Organic Act-approved on July 1, 1902- provided for extending the United States Bill of Rights to Filipinos, and On July 2, the United States Secretary of War telegraphed that since the insurrection against the United States had ended and provincial civil governments had been established throughout most of the Philippine archipelago, the office of military governor was terminated. April 9, 2002, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo proclaimed that the Philippine–American War had ended on April 16, 1902 with the surrender of General Miguel Malvar, and declared the centennial anniversary of that date as a national working holiday and as a special non-working holiday in the Province of Batangas and in the Cities of Batangas, Lipa and Tanaun. “The White Man’s Burden has been sung. Who will sing the Brown Man’s?”

—Mark Twain, “The Stupendous Procession”