‘The White Man’s Burden’ was subtitled to recruit America into empire

Evidence

In the late nineteenth century, when Kipling wrote “The White Man’s Burden,” he was simply reinforcing an idea that was by then widespread. Kipling wrote of the inherent superiority of the West and its “burden” to civilize and tame the peoples of the East. Characterized as “half devil, half child,” the colonized were seen both as evil and barbaric and as childlike and therefore in need of protection. When the poem was originally published, Kipling used the subtitle “The United States and the Philippine Islands” as a way to urge the Americans to take on the same responsibilities as the British. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 127

Categorization

• SEED: The Kipling subtitle is a vivid angle: a single subtitle exposing the ideological recruitment of the US into empire.
• XREF: connects to: Every imperial power since the Enlightenment has invoked the white man’s burden — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 200

Broader Connections

• Every imperial power since the Enlightenment has invoked the white man’s burden #expands (0.55) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 200