In "The White Man's Burden" by Kipling, what exactly is the white man's burden?

Question

I was thinking something along the lines of the white man's burden is losing himself, sacrificing himself for others.I think the white mans burden is to save the world, to end famine, help the sick, save the oppressed, go all over the world and conquer every corner of the globe, and maintain the proper life to avoid being judged poorly.

Am I kind of along the lines of being correct?
Please Explain. Thanks! (:

Here is the poem:
Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go, bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait, in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain,
To seek another's profit
And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden--
The savage wars of peace--
Fill full the mouth of Famine,
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
(The end for others sought)
Watch sloth and heathen folly
Bring all your hope to nought.

Take up the White Man's burden--
No iron rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper--
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go, make them with your living
And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man's burden,
And reap his old reward--
The blame of those ye better
The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--
"Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness.
By all ye will or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent sullen peoples
Shall weigh your God and you.

Take up the White Man's burden!
Have done with childish days--
The lightly-proffered laurel,
The easy ungrudged praise:
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers.

Answer 1

White Man's Burden was a belief that everyone else were savages and had to be enlightened. Their culture had to be destroyed, they had to be taught "proper English" and their religious beliefs had to be knocked out of them so they would follow the "one true God". Basically White Man's Burden was a pretty racist ideology.

Answer 2

The poem was written as an appeal to the United States to assume the task of developing the Philippines, recently won in the Spanish-American War. Kipling, born in British India, felt it was up to America to develop the country.



By the time of his death in 1936, he had come to be reviled as the poet of British imperialism, though being regarded as a beloved children's book author.

Answer 3

The burden is to have to lead what Kipling considered lesser races and savages.