Instead, they depicted it as
bringing the blessing of civilization to the "underprivileged."
The concept of the "white man's burden" was particularly common
in Britain and America. The prevailing idea was that the white
race, especially the AngloSaxon and Teutonic branches of it, had
been especially blessed by God so that it could achieve
industrialization and democratization. It further taught that it
was their obligation to carry the benefits to less fortunate
peoples.
This new imperialism hid its domination behind paternalism, but
it still presented the imperialists as superiors and the
colonials as inferiors. Moreover, because in most cases the
imperialists were white and the colonials colored, it meant that
this imperialist drive also carried racial connotations. The
American version of the "white man's burden" was most blatantly
presented by Josiah Strong in his book Our Country. According to
Strong, the superior Anglo-Saxon race in America would multiply
rapidly, become powerful and prosperous, and then would spread
the blessings of industrialization and democracy south into
Mexico and into the Caribbean Islands.
Pages:
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203