Oppression
The Narrator of the poem sarcastically suggests that the authorities in the U.S. stop themselves from burdening other countries with their oppressive tactics and instead focus their attention on oppressing people of color within the U.S. They suggest that there is so much more to burden non-white people with, so much more suffering they can subject them to, before they can move on to other countries.
Imperialism
The basis of the poem is to respond to Rudyard Kiplings’s poem “The White Man’s Burden” (1899), in which Kipling suggested that it is the moral duty of white people to civilize non-white people. The imperialistic nature of his message is called out by Johnson in this responding poem. He highlights the mistreatment of white people towards people of color as the true savagery. Johnson also questions why the U.S wants to burden already suffering countries, such as Cuba, when there is not any need for them to invade such countries.
Racism
The Narrator identifies key races to highlight the subjugation these groups face at the hands of their white oppressors. For example, he calls out the massacre of the Native Americans and the theft of their land and the unconcerned in which they allow African Americans to endure hardship.
