Reminiscing on previous histories that we were taught about our nation (the U.S.) have obviously been sugarcoated. Knowing that "cultures" from all across the world have aided in the formation of what America is today were not being fully acknowledged; the only people that were receiving credit for their "contributions" were the white men, not the people who were stripped of their land or used for the personal gain of the "worthy". Why is that, though?
While reading the introduction of Anarchy of Empire, it explained the ties between the United States and Puerto Rico and how U.S. ownership created strict limits on what Puerto Rican citizens had access to; these limits also caused a sense of dependency upon them. Ironically during the construction of the northern areas of America, in particular New York, majority of the workers were Puerto Rican. They contributed a great deal to the United States economy, but what did they get in return after all of the hard work was done? They were forced to be deported back. Relative to this, I am currently in a class that focuses on the culture of the West and these same topics come up here as well. Since the West was considered as an open opportunity for everyone to claim what was theirs, why is it that the settlers had to use a form of manipulation to control the Native Americans for an increase in opportunistic gain? The Native Americans had two identities to the White settlers, "Native Americans" or "Indian" and yes there is constructed difference between the two; they are referred to as Native Americans when they are being cooperative or have became "Christianized" or "civilized". The use of "Indian" was used when Native Americans were not willing to lend their trust to the settlers or not cooperating with settlers. Hopefully, you get the point so far.
The White Man's Burden makes a whole lot more sense to understand seeing how actual history has played out and knowing what really happened. To me, the burden of the white men was quite evident and obvious once putting two and two together; the system that was set in place to control or manipulate the "others" was used to their advantage. Knowing that they needed help building the American empire, they used ways to attract "others" and bribed them with the same "opportunity" knowing that they were not going to allow them to become actual United States citizens after their help was no longer needed. For example, looking at particular countries that decided to rebel against European rule and claim their own independence, why is it that immediately after the removal of power, these particular countries or nations become severely ripped of economic stability? This is how the culture of poverty was constructed; if you haven't noticed that this visual of what poverty looks like is always linked to people of color or of another ethnic background and not white. Whites used the exploitation of "others" in order to receive the highest amount of gain possible for themselves which provided an unfair advantage.
Unfortunately, people of color are always depicted as the "face" of poverty. Yet, there are also whites that also depend on the welfare program, but it is highly rare that they are ever mentioned when it comes to demographics of recipients. The idea of poverty leaves not only physically attainable limitations on those affected, but it can also leave behind a negative mindset to those who have been forced into positions of inferiority or have continuously stricken with disadvantages due to their economic status.
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