White Man's Burden:The Expansionist/Anti-Imperialist Debate at the Turn of the Century

In an engaging simulation, class members imagine immigrating to the United States in the late nineteenth-century and arriving at Ellis Island. They then write creative journal entries about their experience and chart their journeys.

Combine literature and history with the poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling. Pupils read the poem and answer four questions about the text. 

How does prejudice emerge? To open a discussion about race and prejudice, class members read "The Black Man's Burden," H.T. Johnson's response to Rudyard Kipling's famous ode to imperialism.

In this poetry instructional activity, students read Rudyard Kipling poem titled "The White Man's Burden," and then respond to 9 short answer questions about the poem. The text of the poem is not included.

How did totalitarian regimes, in places like Russia, Italy, Germany, and Japan, come to power after World War I? Your young historians will participate in a jigsaw activity and then analyze the response of the United States to the rise...

Where do anti-immigrants myths come from, and how can they be refuted? Learners critically analyze media reports and how to identify reliable sources. After studying a timeline that details the history of US nativism, groups research the...

Has the United States always been an empire? This video is packed with information on America's endeavors during the age of new imperialism, including the displacement of indigenous peoples through territorial acquisition, how wars were...

The included excerpt would be a perfect contrary follow-up to reading, Rudyard Kipling's White Man's Burden. Journalist E.D. Morel composed the statement against imperialism in 1920. Black Man's Burden is a wonderful primary source...

What is the white man's burden anyway? Kids find out about views from our social past as they read Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden." They read the poem then answer four, two-part critical thinking questions, which have them...

A cross-curricular lesson combines poetry and history for your middle and high schoolers. The class critically examines Kipling's poem, "White Man's Burden" as historical evidence of the Imperialist ideology popular during his time. The...