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The subtitle of Kipling’s poem clearly and explicitly situates it in relation to the Philippine-American War of 1899–1902. More generally, though, we infer from the poem’s subject matter that it comes from and speaks to the era when global imperialism was at its height—which is to say, the period between 1870 and 1914. Of course, European imperialism began long before 1870. But because early European imperialism was largely bound up with trading ventures, the language used to justify imperial projects was initially tied to economics. To be sure, imperialism is always economically motivated. However, by the late nineteenth century it became more palatable to justify imperialism by framing it as a “civilizing mission” rather than an economic enterprise. Thus, at the height of global empire, when the subjugation of non-European nations and the expropriation of their natural resources was at its peak, European nations began to legitimize their financial stakes in more humanistic terms. Kipling’s poem clearly bears the traces of this period’s humanistic rhetoric. Indeed, it frames the imperial project as a thankless act in which “the White Man” sacrifices his own well-being to improve the lives of others. Such is the basic idea of empire as a civilizing mission.

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