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Unit 4: Nationalism, Industrialism, and Imperialism

Lesson A: Birth of the Imperial World

Activity 3: Social Darwinism and the White Man's Burden

As you saw in Activity 1, racism was one of the motives behind imperialism. Around the world, forms of racism have long been a part of the human experience. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, however, Social Darwinism and other theories provided a new basis for racist thinking.

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Presentation Activity - Social Darwinism and the White Man's Burden

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When you are ready, select the play button to learn about Social Darwinism and the White Man's Burden.

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Classroom Activity - Social Darwinism and the White Man's Burden

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Directions: In this activity, you will discuss the ideas of Social Darwinism and the White Man's Burden that you just explored in the presentation.

Prepare a response to the discussion questions below. Follow your teacher's directions to participate in your class discussion.

  • How was racism used as a justification for imperialism?
  • How do you think the people of the colonized countries felt about some of the ideas of Social Darwinism, scientific racism, and the White Man's Burden?
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Select the link to review the Discussion Scoring Tool (pdf).

 

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