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Rudyard Kipling wrote The White Man’s Burden specifically to encourage America to follow an imperialist policy toward the Philippines.� It appeared in McClure’s Magazine in February of 1899.� At this time, the Philippine-American War had just begun and Spain had ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.� There was much debate about what America should do with its newly acquired territories.� Some people wanted to break from the traditional forms of expansionism by converting the Philippines into a colony instead of a state.� The anti-imperialists believed that such imperialism was morally wrong and impractical.� When Kipling advocated imperialism in The White Man’s Burden, it inspired angry objections often in the form parodies.� Three such examples are The Brown Man’s Burden by Henry Labouch, The Poor Man’s Burden by Howard S. Taylor and The Black Man’s Burden by John White Chadwick. [...]

“America ignored the Geneva Accords and propped up the government of Ngo Dinh Diem in order to promote democracy and to oppose tyranny.” Ironically, American efforts actually worked in opposing directions.�� This is a very true statement.� America wanted to prevent the spread of communism by ensuring that Ho Chi Minh did not extend communism to all of Vietnam.� To do this, America sought to establish a stable non-communist government based on popular support in South Vietnam.� [...]